The Cycle
by LionPrankster
Summary: Humphrey and Kate are finally together. But Winston has to tell something to Humphrey about his past. How will Humphrey react? How will Kate react? What importance does it have? WARNING: this story will be very emotional (at least I hope so, and, yeah, I still suck at summaries :))) )
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone. LionPrankster here. For those who don't know me, I hope you will enjoy my story and I present you the first chapter of it. Along this story, I will not give spoilers, but I will accept suggestions from my readers in the reviews. I can't promise that I will use them though. Also, please keep the flaming and mean words for yourselves. I am not disturbed by criticism, as long as it is constructive, but don't leave me a review to tell me my story sucks because it has no CoD elements or no Mountain Dew or Doritos :))) For those who know me, welcome back to another of my stories. I know I haven't yet finished the other ones, but I felt the need to start this one. I didn't forget them and I will continue to write them until I finish them. Also, this story will no longer be a musical story so to say. I won't name my chapters after songs in this one, unless I really find a song that fits and that I want to share with my readers. At some point in the story, there will be lyrics from songs, and I will mention the title of the songs and the singer's name in the AN from the bottom of the page. Also, this chapter will be the only one that will have a reference to a specific scene in the first movie, just so you know before hand when you see it. So, now that introductions have been made, I present you the Alpha and Omega M-rated story, The Cycle. Enjoy :D (This story will have a rating of M from the beginning because I am too lazy to change it later, so there's that :)) )**

**Chapter one - A howl to remember**

Blue. The sky was blue and the sun was shining like a molten golden orb over Jasper Park. In a den not far away from the Feeding Grounds of the Western and Eastern territory, 2 wolves, one golden and one grey and blue, were sleeping together. The blue wolf was coiled around the sleeping form of the golden one and was looking at the sky with a frown. A couple of days passed since he and Kate had returned from Idaho and Garth and Lilly united the packs. The golden wolf began stirring and Humphrey let the frown fall as he looked at his beautiful mate. Well, not yet mate, but soon to be. Kate opened her eyes and looked at a grinning Humphrey.

"Morning Humphrey. How long have you been starring like that?" Kate asked giggling a little.

"Morning, beautiful. Not too long" Humphrey said as he nuzzled her neck.

"I see. So why are you grinning?" Kate asked, grinning herself.

"Oh. Nothing. Just thinking that after today I will become the mate of the most beautiful Alpha in the pack" he said nuzzling her again.

"And I'll become the mate of the funniest Omega" Kate said nuzzling him too.

"Ah-hmm" a voice said outside their den. Both Kate and Humphrey stopped nuzzling and looked outside, where they saw Winston looking at them and smiling.

"Oh, good morning dad. What brings you here?" Kate asked putting her head under Humphrey's chin, not bothering to get up.

"I came here to remind you that your mother wants to see you before the wedding" Winston said taking some steps closer to them.

"Oh. Right. One second" Kate said as she took her head from under Humphrey's chin and kissed him on the cheek. Humphrey's tail began wagging from left to right.

"I'll see you soon, Humphrey" Kate said with a bright smile and she got up.

"Yeah, see you soon" Humphrey smiled as he looked at her leaving the den. Her beautiful curves sent him in a fantasy where he and Kate were always together and ran around fields of flowers and...

"Humphrey...Humphrey" Winston said sitting in front of him. Humphrey blinked a few times before turning his head to Winston and saying with a paw scratching the back of his head:

"Sorry sir. Day-dreaming. What was it that you wanted to talk about, sir?"

"Humphrey, I wanted to talk to you about the wedding" Winston said as Humphrey got up and sat by Winston.

"What about it?" Humphrey asked with a quizzical expression.

"I wanted to thank you Humphrey. From all the wolves Kate could have chosen as her mate, I am really glad she chose you. She is really lucky to have you?" Winston said with a fatherly expression.

"Sir, I must say that it is the other way around. I am lucky that she chose me. And I love her with all my heart. I will never force her to do anything and I will always stay by her. I will die for her, if need be, sir" Humphrey said with a serious expression.

"I know Humphrey and I appreciate all of it. Also, I have another question" Winston said with a smile.

"Anything, sir" Humphrey said smiling himself.

"Have you and Kate...considered having pups?" Winston asked looking at him straight in his eyes. Humphrey was taken a little by surprise by the question.

"I haven't had the occasion to talk with Kate about that. I, one, am ready to have pups. You know me, I love children. But, it is her decision to make, as I will not enforce anything on her" Humphrey answered with a serious face.

"Thank you, Humphrey. You must love her very much" Winston said getting up and giving Humphrey a hug.

"Anything for your daughter, sir" Humphrey said, returning the hug.

"And Humphrey, from today on, call me Winston" Winston whispered in his ear. Humphrey's expression changed in a second as he heard this and his hug became a little more powerful. One second later, the broke the hug and Winston said:

"I am proud to call you my son-in-law, Humphrey."

"Thank you, si...Winston. You have no idea how important this is to me" Humphrey said with a big, goofy grin and a tear visible in his right eye. Winston nodded fatherly towards him, before turning to leave. He stopped just outside the den and said, without turning back:

"You should get ready for your wedding. It's only a couple of hours away." And then he left. Humphrey nodded and put his head back on his paws, closing his eyes, before suddenly opening them and crying loud:

"THE WEDDING!"

From some distance away, Winston smiled as he heard Humphrey enter panic mode and shook his head, mumbling:

"Just like his father." Then he frowned. He turned his head back towards the direction of Humphrey's den and was just about to walk back, before he stopped and said in a whisper:

"He deserves a week to himself. I'll talk with him after. Well, back to Alpha duties."

**-at the main den-**

"Oh, dear you will look just lovely" Eve said as she was combing Kate's fur with a big pinecone.

"Thanks mom" Kate said with a small smile. She looked at the sky and a tear escaped her eye.

"Why are you crying dear? Has Humphrey done something bad?" Eve asked in a threatening tone. Kate quickly turned to her mother and said with a serious face:

"Mom. You know Humphrey would never ever do such a thing, unless I wanted him to. No, that is not the reason I am crying" Kate said her face now a mile and another tear falling.

"Then why are you crying?" Eve asked with a quizzical look. Kate sighed and said:

"Because I am finally getting married to the love of my life. He was my friend since we were pups. But when I left for Alpha training, our connection kind of faded for a moment. And when I returned from the Alpha training, I kind of ignored him. Yet, his love never wavered. He waited for me. When we were relocated in Idaho, he saved me not once, but twice. He never asked something in return and was always there to cheer me up on my way home. And his voice. His howl. It's the most beautiful howl I've ever heard. It strikes something in me..."

"Kate, dear, you are rambling. What are you trying to say?" her mother asked still confused.

"Mom, Humphrey opened my eyes. And the eyes of the pack too. Without him, our packs would have never been united" Kate said stopping her tears. Eve looked at her with a smile. Then her expression changed suddenly and she ran into the den. Kate was really puzzled until she saw her mother returning with a small, pink flower in her mouth. He put the flower in Kate's ear and said:

"Now it's perfect. A wonderful howl, you say? Well, we will hear it tonight then" Eve said with a grin. Kate almost face-pawed when she remembered that tonight was the Full Moon Howl.

**-at the lake near the feeding grounds-**

"Guys, could you please hurry a little?" Humphrey asked as his friends Salty, Mooch and Shakey as they were grooming his fur.

"Chillax dude. We got your back. Plus, you really have to take care of yourself today" Shakey said with a grin.

"Yeah, today is the Full Moon Howl, remember?" Salty said chuckling a little. Humphrey literally paw-faced. Mooch looked at him and asked:

"What, you forgot?"

"Yeah, I did. I'll ask Kate after the wedding" Humphrey said with a grin as he looked at the sky. Shakey continued to comb his fur until he pulled the pinecone a little too rough.

"Hey, watch it. That hurt" Humphrey said laughing a little.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry" Shakey said as he and the others finished grooming him. Humphrey got up and turned a few times in front of them.

"You look perfect. Kate will love it" Shakey said giving him the thumbs up. His friends nodded and Humphrey smiled.

"Well, then, let's get going. I wonder if Kate is there already" Humphrey said walking by his friends to the hearth of the feeding grounds at the wedding stone.

**-the wedding stone-**

The sun shone bright over the sky. All of the wolves of the Eastern and Western packs were there, around the wedding stone, waiting for the groom and the bride. Lilly and Garth were sitting the closest to the stone. Beside Garth stood Tony. As Humphrey and his friends approached the wedding stone, Humphrey stopped and gulped, before he whispered to his friends:

"It is just me, or are there a lot of wolves here today?"

"Oh, come on Humphrey, don't chicken on us now. Of course there are. You are the reason the law of Alphas and Omegas never being together has been abolished and, extending from that, the reason the packs are united. They all want to celebrate" Salty said.

"Oh, come on guys, I didn't do all of that. All I did was return with Kate home and save Wiston, Tony and Kate from a stampede" Humphrey said as they continued to walk towards the sea of wolves. The wolves all turned to see Humphrey walking to the stone and made a path for him to walk on. His friends lost themselves through the crowd and when Humphrey reached the wedding stone, he was alone. He looked around him and saw that all the wolves sat waiting, while he was standing up. He was about to sit too, when he saw the wolves parting, forming a path. On the path walked Winston and Eve proud and with smiles. They stopped in front of Humphrey and nodded. Humphrey nodded too and then Winston and Eve sat beside Lilly. The crowd of wolves parted again and the most beautiful wolf Humphrey has ever seen walked towards him and stopped in front of him. Kate nuzzled him for a second and Humphrey said:

"You are amazing and look amazing."

"Thanks. Shall we begin? "Kate asked, blush visible on her face. Humphrey nodded and they began accepting each other's scent. Kate smelled like fresh summer flowers and cloudless sky, a smell Humphrey loved. Humphrey smelled like pinecones and he also had his musky scent, which made Kate tremble with delight. After that Humphrey gently nibbled on Kate's ear. She sighed in delight. Then, when Kate nibbled on his ear, Humphrey's wagged his tail. Then, they touched their noses for a second before they kissed long and passionate. They heard the crowd go wild around themselves, but it didn't matter. This was their moment and they enjoyed it completely. When they broke the kiss, Humphrey hugged Kate and she hugged him back. He whispered in her ear:

"Kate, would you do me the pleasure to go with me to the Full Moon Howl?" Kate broke the hug and looked him in the eyes:

"Of course, my mate. Plus, I think my mom wants to hear you howling" Kate said with a giggle as she licked his face. Humphrey smiled and said:

"We will be the best." Then they turned to the crowd, which erupted in howls and cheers once again. Kate and Humphrey walked to Winston who was trying to wake up a fainted Eve. He saw them coming and said:

"Congratulations you two. Me and my wife are so happy for you." Just the Humphrey heard "Wolf pile!" and before he had time to move, his friends landed on him.

"Okay guys, give me some air" he said as his friends got off of him while Kate giggled. His friends high-fived with him as Garth and Lilly came to them to congratulate them.

"Congratulations Humphrey" Garth said as he hugged him roughly.

"Yeah. You and Garth are now brothers-in-law" Lilly said hugging him too. Winston cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him as he said:

"Humphrey, as the leader of this pack, I congratulate you officially and wish you and Kate a happy life together. And, in honor of your marriage, we prepared a small amount of about twenty caribous as your wedding meal. "Humphrey nodded and looked at the crowd, before saying:

"Well guys and girls, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party started!" The wolves cheered again and everyone began eating and having a good time.

**-some hours later-**

"Okay guys! Listen up!" Humphrey called around the feeding grounds. All the wolves looked at him, some of them still cheering. "Let's move the party to the Full Moon Howl! Everyone grab your partner!" Humphrey said with a cheer. Everyone cheered again and they all made their way to the Full Moon Howl. Winston caught up with Humphrey and said:

"You really have your way with crowds. When did you learn to do that?"

"Since I was a pup, I knew how to talk to many wolves at once and captivate their attention" Humphrey said with a smile. Just then he heard a growl behind him. He turned around to see an Eve with murdering eyes.

"You. Kissed. My. Daughter. I will kill you!" she called as she was ready to pounce on him. Winston quickly got in front of him, as did Kate.

"Dear, would you please move away? Humphrey is still breathing" Eve said in a sweet voice to his husband.

"No Eve. Humphrey and Kate are now married. It was their marriage kiss. I don't think you and I have a say in this anymore. Only Kate has, since she is now his mate" Winston said with fierce eyes.

"But...but he kissed my baby" Eve said confused.

"Yes, he did. And, I loved every second of it" Kate said with a big grin. "Plus, mom, didn't you want to hear Humphrey howl? If you kill him now, how would howl with me?" Kate asked again. Eve stopped on her tracks and thought for a second.

"But he kissed you" she said again, not getting the point.

"Look, mom. I know it will be kind of hard for you to accept this, but Humphrey is my mate and will kiss me every day. And one day we will have pups. And there is no thing that you can do to stop me from enjoying my time with Humphrey as he and I please" Kate said sitting in front of her with a serious face.

"But...but...wait, did you say pups?" Eve asked making sure she heard it right.

"Yes. Pups" Kate answered again. Eve snarled again, but Winston jumped on her before she could pounce on Humphrey.

"Darling, please listen. If you won't leave Humphrey alone, I will have to take you home and make Barbara give you calming herbs for stress management. Plus, we will miss the howl. We haven't missed it since we are together. Understood, Eve dear?" Winston said. Eve nodded and got off of her. "Now, let's go to the howl, we are missing the fun" Winston said, his happy face coming back to him. Eve walked beside him, while Kate and Humphrey walked a little slower, falling behind. After Humphrey made sure Eve was a secure distance away, he whispered to Kate:

"Did you just tell your mom that you are going to have pups with me?" Kate stopped and looked at him.

"Did I?" she asked with a sly smile and a wink. "Well, I guess it can't be helped than. We will have pups." Humphrey just looked at her and kissed her right there and then. When he broke the kiss, he said:

"You are the best, you know that?"

"I do now" she said giving his cheek a lick as they resumed their walk to the Howling Rock. When they reached the rock, they saw wolves that already started howling in harmonious voices and also their feathery friends, Marcel and Paddy close to the top of the rock, having a discussion with Winston and Eve.

"Let's say hi" Humphrey said as they started climbing the paths in the rock to reach Winston and Eve and from there to go to the top of the rock. When they reached Winston and Eve, Marcel noticed them and said:

"Ahh, and here are the high-maintenance couple of the night. Wonderful wedding. Congratulations!"

"Quite a wedding indeed, sir" Paddy agreed. "You made his old hearth cry a little today" Paddy said, looking at Humphrey and Kate.

"Now, now Paddy, I am not that old" Marcel commented before Humphrey and Kate hugged them.

"Are you here to enjoy the show?" Kate asked Marcel as they broke the hug.

"I didn't hear there was going to be a show" Winston said with a confused look.

"You will see what I am talking about soon, dad" Kate said to her father.

"Ah, oui mademoiselle, we will be enjoying the show, I think" Marcel said with a wink. Paddy nodded and they flew in the tree closest to the top of the Howling Rock.

Humphrey and Kate followed them to the top and when they reached it, they looked at all the wolves that were now quiet and looking at them expectantly.

"Ready?" Humphrey whispered to Kate.

"Oh yeah" he said with a grin. Humphrey took a big mouth of air, and let loose the most beautiful howl the wolves have ever heard. Kate looked at Marcel and Paddy and saw them giving thumbs up. Then she looked at her parents. Winston had a confused look, then his face went into a deep, approving smile as he nodded to Kate. The most shocking thing, however, was to see Eve looking at Humphrey transfixed, a small tear falling from her eye. Kate smiled at her mother and looked at the wolves below, all of them looking with admiration at Humphrey. She felt him nudge her a bit, and she turned her attention back to him. He smiled a hearth-melting smile and joined in, their voices melting one in the other and sounding beautiful.** (Just like the scene in the movie, when they howled in the train)**

**-ten minutes later-**

Humphrey stopped howling and looked at the other wolves. As soon as he stopped, all of them howled in unison a happy howl. He chuckled and Kate smiled:

"I guess you were right" Kate said nudging him to follow her.

"How so?" he asked following her to her parents.

"We were the best" she said with a smile. Marcel and Paddy flew down to them and stopped them just before they returned to Winston and Eve.

"Wonderful song" Marcel said giving them a hug.

"Indeed" Paddy added, also giving them a hug.

"Thanks guys. Me and Kate are happy you enjoyed it" Humphrey said with a smile.

"Always happy. If you ever need any help or are planning a trip somewhere, give us a howl" Marcel said with a smile as he and Paddy flew to get some sleep since it was past midnight now. Kate and Humphrey returned to Eve and Winston and sat by them.

"That was really beautiful, Humphrey. I didn't know you had it in you" Winston said with a smile.

"Thank you, Winston" Humphrey said with a grin.

"Well mom? Did you like it?" Kate asked with a smile. Her mom looked at Humphrey, than at Kate, than back at Humphrey. She got up and got closer to Humphrey. She raised her paw as to strike him. Humphrey's hearth sank in panic, while Winston and Kate looked petrified. Then she hugged him. Winston mouth dropped, as did the mouths of all the other wolves in the pack.

"Humphrey, I am sorry for what I almost did earlier. From now on, I live Kate in your paws. Look after her, or you will answer to me. May the stars shine bright and guide you two through your life" Eve whispered in his ear. Then she let him go. She looked at Winston, who still had his mouth opened. Then she turned at the pack and saw they had their mouths open too. She cleared her throat and said:

"You all should close your mouths unless you want to eat flies as a midnight snack." Everyone quickly closed their mouths, including Winston, and returned to their partner, without a doubt discussing the scene that happened earlier. Winston quickly recovered from his stupor and said:

"Me and Eve will return to our den now. Kate, for the next week, you are free from your Alpha duties. Spend your time with your mate and have fun. Humphrey, until next week, you are also free of your Omega duties, whatever those were. When the week ends, I wish to talk to you about something, so please come by my den. Kate should come too. You should get Lilly with Garth too. Have a good night you too." He smiled knowingly and then left with Eve. After they were a safe distance away, Kate looked at Humphrey and asked him:

"Did my mom just hug you back there?"

"Yeah she did. And she transmitted a clear message to me too" he said laughing. "So, what do you want to do now, Kate?" Humphrey asked looking at her with a smile.

"I don't really know. Do you have something in mind?" she asked, brushing her body on his side. Humphrey nodded and said:

"Follow me. I want to show you something."

They walked together under the moonlight through the forest. Their sides were touching with every step and they enjoyed each other company very much.

"This is so romantic. A walk under full moon" Kate said in a whisper, and with a giggle.

"You think? You haven't seen anything yet" Humphrey said with a grin. Kate laughed this time and said:

"Okay, so what exactly do you have in mind?"

"I wanted to show you a place I found on the day I joined this pack. I've been wanting to show it to you since I had a crush on you, when we were pups" he said with a grin and a blush.

"A what? You had a crush on me when we were pups?" Kate asked giggling.

"And I still do have a crush on you. I love you" Humphrey said giving her a lick on the cheek. She became redder in the face by the second.

"You know, I kind of liked you too back then" she said with a girlish voice.

"You did what now?" Humphrey asked looking at her with a smile.

"Yeah. But I kind of forgot my crush when I had to go to Alpha school. I kind of forgot how funny and caring you were. I kind of forgot the real you. But you brought it all back and opened my eyes" she said with another small giggle.

"Boy, am I glad I did that. Else you would have married Barf" Humphrey said with a chuckle of himself. Kate laughed at his little jokes and said:

"It would have been strange to be considered Madame Barf by Marcel, wouldn't it?" Humphrey lost it and started laughing really hard. They kept walking in since, leaning one on the other, until Humphrey stopped in front of some bushes. He turned to Kate and said with a smile:

"Now close your eyes, and don't open them until I say so." Kate giggled excitedly and quickly closed her eyes. Humphrey started walking with her leaning on him and went through the bushes. They walked for another half a minute until Humphrey stopped and said:

"Okay Kate, open your eyes." She opened them and remained speechless. They were in a small clearing just above the waterfall in their territory. There were flowers everywhere and even a small den under a big pine tree.

"This is beautiful. Does anyone else know of this place?" Kate asked looking at him excited.

"Nope. This is our special place. A place where only you, me, and our love exists" Humphrey said taking the lead and laying close to the edge of the clearing, facing the moon and the waterfall. Kate joined him and laid down beside him, her left side touching his right side. She put her head on his paws and looked at the moon. Humphrey put his head over her head and intertwined their tails.

"We are so much closer to the moon" Kate said in a whisper looking at the big full moon.

"Yeah. I used to come here a lot when I was little and there was full moon. " Humphrey said beginning to howl lightly in his wonderful voice. Kate joined in and they howled for a long time. They were together now, and when they were in their magical world, they were the only one that existed. It was them against the world.

**Aaaaaaand….scene :D**

**I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter of this story. Please tell me your opinions and your ideas, if you have any. I will read and respond to each and every review in a matter of 24 hours. I'll see you all soon.**

**LionPrankster, over and out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone. I am back with some more Alpha and Omega. I just posted the first chapter a couple days ago and it was received very good by you guys and girls, so I want to thank you all. Also, I just came back from watching The Judge with Robert D. Jr. It was an amazing movie, full of emotions and drama, and I recommend it to anyone. Now, here is the second chapter of this story and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :D**

**Chapter 2 – The happiest day of my life**

The sun slowly rose on the blue sky above Jasper Park. The first rays of the morning hit the lovely pair of wolves, making their bodies glow in an unnatural way. Last night, they abandoned the idea of returning to their den in favor of sleeping under the starry sky over the feeding ground and near the waterfall.

Humphrey opened his eyes to see Kate still sleeping with her head on his paws, as they fell asleep last night. Their tails were still intertwined and Kate had a content smile on her lips. It made her look even more beautiful. Humphrey starred at her for a couple of minutes, before putting his head back over hers in a protective way, bringing his body closer to her, his right side leaning a little stronger on her left side. Then he looked over the landscape, at the feeding grounds below, where wolves, especially Alphas, already started their morning hunts and routines. Everything was so peaceful, and Humphrey enjoyed the fact that he and Kate have been relieved for a week from their duties to spend time with each other. In fact, Humphrey was already thinking of what will they do today, when he felt his head moving up.

Kate began to stir in her sleep, moving her head and Humphrey's head up. She opened her eyes and panicked for a second, seeing the waterfall so close to her and the feeding grounds from so high. That is, before she remembered last night. The most romantic night in her life.

"Morning gorgeous" Humphrey whispered in her ear, as he moved his head beside her. Kate smiled and said in a groggy voice:

"Morning Humphrey. How does it come that you wake up before me again?"

"I don't know. Maybe I wanna see you sooner" he said giving her his goofy, characteristic smile. Kate shook her head and said with a light laugh:

"Oh, what have I done to get such an awesome mate, I will never know." They both laughed and then Kate kissed Humphrey when he wasn't expecting it. Their maws connected and Humphrey let a small surprised moan escape into their kiss. Kate caught the moment just right and slipped her tongue inside his mouth. They kissed passionately, not moving from where they stood when they woke up, for a couple of minutes. When Kate finally broke the kiss to take in some air, Humphrey commented with his tongue hanging out of his mouth a little, and a big grin on his face:

"Now that is what I call a good morning." Kate laughed and friendly hit him with her paw in his right front-leg. Humphrey joined the laugh for some seconds, before a sound broke their laugh. Kate's stomach growled in need of food.

"Oopsie" she said, blushing a little.

"No biggie. Let's get to the feeding grounds. It looks like the hunt just ended" Humphrey said getting up and waiting for Kate to follow him. Kate got up and walked right beside him, both of them leaning on the other, enjoying the touch of their fur. While they were descending through the forest, Kate asked:

"So…since I don't have any Alpha duties for a week, how about we do something fun today?"

"Way ahead of you. I have the best idea of fun. I am the leader of the Omegas after all" Humphrey said chuckling. Kate smiled and said in an excited voice:

"So what are we going to do?" Humphrey seemed to think for a moment, before saying:

"Remember when we were chased by that bear down the mountain?"

"Yeah. It was impossible not to remember, after all you saved me back there" Kate said with a grin. Humphrey blushed, before continuing.

"Well, while you were in Alpha school, and I still had this crazy dream that we will one day be together, I built an awesome log-sledge. I thought maybe you would like to try it out with me?" he said sheepishly. Kate said excited:

"Are we going log-sledging then?"

"Yeah, but only if you want to" Humphrey said keeping his sheepish smile.

"Want to? Want to?! I'd love to!" Kate said excited again, as they reached the feeding grounds and as her stomach growled again. He stopped in the middle of a jump, her face bright red.

"How about a small snack before we go?" Humphrey asked nuzzling her red face. Kate nodded slowly as they went towards a group of wolves eating a caribou. When the wolves saw Kate and Humphrey come, one of them said:

"There he is. Nice singing last night, Humphrey." The other wolves all nodded and Humphrey blushed a little, before saying a thank you. Kate asked, trying to break the strange silence that fell after Humphrey thanked them:

"So guys, can we have a bite of this caribou?"

"Of course. In fact, it's all yours. We have to go on patrol duty right about now. Come on, guys" another wolf said as he looked at the sky. The group said their goodbyes and left for patrol duty. Humphrey looked at them go, and asked Kate, not looking at her:

"Do you think they really have patrol duty right now?" Kate was already eating and mumbled a who cares. Humphrey shrugged and began eating too.

**-half an hour and half a caribou later-**

Humphrey just licked his muzzle after the last bite of caribou to get rid of all the blood. Kate did the same, but missed a spot, which Humphrey cleaned for her. She giggled and said:

"So, are we going to get this super-awesome sledge of yours?"

Humphrey nodded and they left towards the lake under the waterfall. After they walked for some time, reaching the waterfall, Kate asked. They up the hill on the other part of their hiding spot and reached a big oak tree. Humphrey stopped and said:

"Here we are. Down this hill is the lake, so in case of anything happening, we will get a bath at most."

"But…Humphrey…where is the sledge?" Kate asked confused. Humphrey smiled and went to the big oak. He just pulled away a big piece of its bark. Under it, was the original bark of the tree. He put the bark on the ground close to the slope. The bark was smooth on the inside, the sledge was perfectly elliptical in form and had the perfect length for two mature wolves. Kate looked at it smelled it. It smelled like Humphrey, like smooth sand from the lake and like fresh leaves of summer.

"Humphrey, it is beautiful. How did you make this? When did you make this?" Kate asked admiring every angle of the sledge.

"Well, each night in which I had these terrible nightmares, I would come here, take the sledge to the river and smooth it with the clearest sand and water I could find. On the inside and on the outside too. Then I would take in back here and hide it. The forest took care of the rest. After that, I would no longer have nightmares that night. And you know why?" Humphrey asked with the kindest smile he could have.

"Why?" Kate asked sitting by him, and looking at the sledge with him.

"Because I always imagined this day, this very moment" he said with a happy sigh. Kate moved her eyes from the sledge to him and saw the tiniest tear fall from his eye. She put one of her paws around him, and gave him a hug. Humphrey hugged back and for some time, they stood like that. Then Humphrey broke the hug with a smile and said:

"So…we take it for a ride?" Kate smiled, excitement building in her.

"Hell yeah, we do" she said jumping on the sledge. Humphrey jumped behind her and was just about to push the sledge when he remembered.

"Don't forget to do as I say. Or we might end up wet" he said laughing and pushing the sledge. And so they began their descent. The bottom of the sledge, being so smooth, quickly picked up speed. Kate began screaming of joy.

"This is awesoooooome!" she cried happy.

"Bank left a little" Humphrey said and they moved their weight a little to the left.

"Now right. Sharp" Humphrey said as they turned to the right to avoid a tree.

"I'm getting the hang of this" Kate said with a giggle.

"You sure? Wanna make the calls?" Humphrey asked.

"Are you serious? Can I?" she asked turning to see him with a horrified look on his face. She turned back to the slope to see two wolves passing by. They didn't see them. Her Alpha instincts took over as she said:

"Bank left. Sharp and with a little break." Humphrey obliged and they passed the wolves just by the tip of their tails. Humphrey sighed in relief and said:

"I guess you are a fast learner."

"JUMP!" Kate called as Humphrey quickly jumped, making the sledge fly high. They landed on the lake, and thanks to the shape of the sledge, they skidded over the water until they reached the bank.

"That was the sickest move I have ever seen" Humphrey said with a cheer as he got off the sledge. "You are really good at this."

"Meah, I had an awesome teacher" Kate said giving him a lick on his cheek.

"So, wanna go again?" Humphrey asked with a big grin. Kate grinned too and said:

"You bet!"

**-many more rounds of log-sledging later-**

Kate just finished helping Humphrey take the sledge back to the oak tree so he could hide it. When Humphrey turned around from the oak, he was greeted with a big kiss. He was taken by surprise and fell on his back, with Kate on top of him. Kate quickly pressed her body against his and deepened the kiss, letting her tongue slip in his mouth. Humphrey was not a lot behind and slipped his tongue in her mouth too and they kissed for a long time. When they finally broke the kiss, Kate put her head on his chest, to listen to the beating of his hearth. Humphrey put his paws around her and brought her closer to him. She looked at his face, to see him smiling his brightest smile yet. She looked at his eyes and saw the eyes of a wolf truly happy, eyes that only betrayed love. She was at a loss of words.

"Humphrey, today was the best day of my life. It was the most fun I had in my life. Last night was the best night of my life. In less than a day, you made me happier than I was in my entire life. I love you Humphrey. Don't you ever forget that" Kate said giving his a small and careful kiss, and then nuzzling his neck. She stood like that for a time, feeling Humphrey hugging her tighter. Then he felt something wet on her head. She looked up and saw Humphrey crying. But he was also smiling. With her paw, she dried his tears and he said:

"I love you Kate. More than you can ever imagine. Don't you ever forget that. No matter what happens from today on, I will always be by your said. Always." And he closed his eyes and nuzzled her neck too. They stood like that for some time, until Humphrey calmed down. Then, they walked towards Humphrey's, and now Kate's den. They laid down one beside the other, each leaning on the other one and nuzzling affectively. They were just about to drift to sleep, when Kate whispered:

"Humphrey, can I choose tomorrow's activity?" Humphrey gave her a nuzzle and said with a sleepy smile.

"Of course you can. I can't wait. It will be fun." Kate nuzzled him back and then pushed her head under his chin, Humphrey was taken by surprise a little, but put one of his paws around her and brought her closer to him and, as he did the night before, intertwined his tail with hers. She smiled happily and sighed as she went to sleep. Humphrey listened to the cadence of her breath until he was sure he was asleep. He sighed too, happy to finally have fulfilled one of his dreams: to go log-sledging with Kate, his mate for life. He looked outside and saw the moon shining brightly in the sky. His smile became more calm and he closed his eyes to go to sleep.

**Aaaaand…scene. I hope you all enjoyed another chapter of this story. I know it is almost half of the other chapter, but I have my reasons (Hehehehe). Tell me what you think about this chapter, and if you want, you can begin to ramble on the subject if you feel like it. I will respond with my own piece of ramble and it will make for an interesting discussion :D Also, leave your ideas if you feel like it, or your questions if you need to know something. Just don't ask me to give spoilers about the story, because I will not do that _*insert evil laugh here*_ :D**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. I am back again. Those of you who have read my stories before will ask what the hell is going on? Three chapters in three days? Have you gone insane? No guys and girls, I just have a lot of ideas for this story and I don't want to lose them. So I keep writing until I get an author's block, or I return to school. I expect this to be my last update on any of my stories for this week, so, without anything to add except thanks to the guest reviewer, let's continue with the story. Enjoy :D**

**Chapter 3 – The Legend**

The sun shone brightly over Jasper Park, bathing the forest in his light. Somewhere south of the Western and Eastern territory, a pack of wolves just woke up with a start. One of the scouts that were on patrol just came back reporting some kind of strange activity farther south. The leader of the southern pack, after hearing the news, put all alphas on alert, doubled the patrol teams and sent a message to the Western pack leader.

**-in the den close to the feeding grounds-**

Humphrey opened his eyes all of a sudden. He didn't know what woke him up. He quickly checked the interior of his den, checked on Kate to see she was still sleeping with a smile on her face, then listened for any sounds from outside. Nothing. By the time he was finished with checking the sounds outside, Kate already opened her eyes and looked at him with a concerned look.

"Humphrey, is everything alright?" Kate asked, not knowing what was wrong with Humphrey. When she saw his face form a small frown, she became concerned and waved a paw in front of his face. Humphrey answered, not looking at her, but looking at the sky.

"Kate, have you ever had that feeling that you are being watched?"

"No. Why? What's wrong?" she asked looking outside at the sky too.

"I woke up a couple of minutes ago with a start. But not just any kind of waking-up start. It was like some shocked me really hard. Now, don't think I am crazy, but I had that feeling before. Twice, to be exact. First, the morning you told me you are leaving for Alpha school, and second, while I was running to catch the train to leave Jasper Park. Both times, bad things happened" Humphrey explained sitting back down and looking at her with concerned eyes.

"Are you sure? Maybe you were too excited from yesterday and just woke with a start" Kate said nuzzling him a little and giving him a soft kiss.

"I am sure. We should go tell Winston" Humphrey said with a serious face. Kate nodded and gave him another quick lick, before she got up with him and they left for the main den. On their way, they passed the feeding grounds and the lake, but it was dead silent. No one was up yet, except the Alpha patrols. They walked slowly, Kate becoming concerned by the minute because of Humphrey's state. They walked past Garth and Lilly's den. They were sleeping still, with smiles on their faces. Kate and Humphrey quickly walked up the ramp to the main den. Kate stopped outside and whispered to Humphrey:

"I'll go inside and get dad. You wait here, we don't want to wake mom up." Humphrey nodded and sat down, waiting for Kate to return with her father. Two minutes later, Winston quickly came outside with Kate. His face was one of worry as he approached Humphrey and sat down by him. He waited for a second before saying:

"Kate said you have something important to tell me. She also said to wait for you to finish your story before I jump to conclusions, so please begin. "

"Winston, sir, to cut it short, I think something bad will happen with the pack soon. This morning I woke up with a start like someone was watching me. You will think by now that this is normal, but the sensation shook me from head to claws and the tip of my tail. And I only had this sensation twice in my life. The morning when Kate left for Alpha school and, I know you will ask me why then. Because I felt very sad when she left for three months. The other time was when I decided to take the train to leave Jasper Park. It hit me just before I jumped into the wagon. When I returned, the packs were fighting each other with intent to kill. I am worried for the pack and for your daughter" Humphrey finished seriously. Winston looked at him, not changing his serious face. After looking straight in Humphrey's eyes, he nodded and said:

"I will supervise the pack personally today. Thank you for telling me. I can see in your eyes that you strongly believe that something isn't right." With that Winston turned around and went back inside. Kate looked at her father and then went to Humphrey's side.

"I've never seen him so serious. He took you seriously Humphrey. Maybe you are right. Something is amiss today. But let's let dad worry about that now" Kate commented as she nuzzled him. Humphrey's attitude changed in an instant as he returned to his happy, worry-free self.

"Yeah, you are right. Let's see. You were saying yesterday that you want to choose the activity for today. What will we do, my love?" Humphrey said giving her cheek a lick. Kate giggled and said:

"I thought maybe you will like to learn how to hunt."

"What? But I am an Omega. Me? Hunt? Really?" Humphrey asked excited. Kate could feel his excitement coming out of his fur.

"Yeah. I can teach you. It will be fun" she said letting her body touch his as they walked towards the feeding grounds. They walked until they reached a place with tall grass, just close to where the caribou were grazing. Kate sat down, and Humphrey sat in front of her with an excited grin on his face.

"It is quite easy to hunt. I mean, it is more difficult to log-sledge a mountain then to hunt" Kate said jokingly. Humphrey laughed too and commented:

"Well, that went perfect. And in the first try too. I can't see something going wrong with a hunt."

"Okay. First things first. You must not let the caribou see you. In order to do that, you must hunt from downwind and be concealed by tall grass. The first part is easy, since today there is no wind, so we won't have to worry about that. The second part however, is not as easy. You have to keep your body low, close to the ground. Try now" Kate said as she walked around him to see how well his body was concealed. Humphrey's pouncing state was almost perfect, except he kept his butt to high. Kate giggled and playfully slapped him saying:

"The caribou can't see your tail. Hold your butt closer to the ground. And stop wagging your tail."

Humphrey blushed a little, but did what he was told.

"Now, try to walk around for a couple of minutes. I'll go to the rock there and see if you are visible. You shouldn't be too visible. When you think the time is right, pounce on me and we will see if you make the kill" Kate said with a grin as she moved up the rock and lied down. Humphrey grinned, a plan in his mind. He walked around a little, just to make Kate loose his sight. Then, he walked behind the rock, surveying Kate for a couple of seconds, before he flexed his legs and jumped high. He landed on her and locked her in a deep kiss. She moaned in his mouth and he quickly pushed his tongue in her mouth. A couple of seconds later, he broke the kiss and said:

"So…was that good hunting technique?"

Kate giggled and commented:

"Good form, great pounce and awesome plan. But remember to bite the caribou's neck hard, not to kiss them hard. Now, let's see you in action."

Humphrey blushed and they walked closer to the grazing caribous. Kate made a last remark before letting him go hunt:

"Choose your target carefully. If you hunt alone, choose a caribou that is separated from the others, or sick, or old. And, don't do the same mistake I did. Choose one you are sure will be able to take down, not one three times that size" Kate said blushing a little. Humphrey giggled and nodded. He pressed his body on the ground and carefully approached the unsuspecting caribou he chose. He was only a couple of meters away from the caribou, when the caribou started looking around. Humphrey instantly remained stoned to his place, holding his breath. Kate saw this and swiftly approached Humphrey. She stopped by his side as the caribou was about to run. She whispered two words to him, before Humphrey pounced on the caribou: "Team hunt."

Humphrey landed on the back of the caribou, going straight for his neck. Kate jumped too and caught the neck of the caribou just beside Humphrey's bite. The caribou fell on the ground from the weight of the two wolves and quickly died.

"We did it! My first hunt was successful!" Humphrey said excited jumping around. Kate giggled and said:

"Good job, Humphrey. Really good for your first hunt."

"I have a great teacher and even a more awesome mate to help me" Humphrey said coming close to her and nuzzling her. Kate blushed and giggled girlishly. Then she said:

"Let's dig in. I am hungry." Humphrey nodded and they dug in with great appetite. When they finished eating and took care of the blood of their muzzles, they heard someone coming. They looked around and saw Lilly and Garth making their way to them.

"Morning" Humphrey called and the two responded in happy voices. When they got closer, Garth asked:

"So early hunting, Kate? Planning on eating the entire caribou population today?"

"No. In fact this is Humphrey's kill" Kate said proud.

"Oh…Humphrey's kill" Garth nodded before his brain could process. "Wait…Humphrey can hunt?" he asked astonished.

"Well, I thought him today the basics and he made a kill, so I suppose yeah. He can hunt" Kate said proudly. Garth looked at Humphrey and said:

"Congrats. I never thought you had a predatory instinct under all your jokes, to be fair."

"Me neither. But Kate helped and she is an awesome teacher" Humphrey said nuzzling her.

"Will you teach me to hunt too?" Lilly asked, looking at Garth. He thought for a second and said:

"Only if you want to. We can try tomorrow morning, if you want." Lilly jumped happily and cheered. All of them laughed at the sudden burst of excitement, but their happiness was interrupted by a wolf approaching at great speed. You could see he was in a hurry and was going straight to them. He stopped in front of the group and said:

"Winston wants all of you in his den right now. He said it is an emergency." Then he ran off to his duties. Kate looked at Humphrey worried and Humphrey looked at Kate worried. All four of them began running to reach the main den as soon as possible. When they were close to it, they saw a strange wolf, not from their pack, leave the den, accompanied by two Alphas and running at great speed south. Winston was outside too, waiting for them. When he saw them, his face became serious as he looked at Humphrey. He waited for them to sit down, before he spoke:

"Humphrey, I am afraid you were right. Something really bad happened to our allies in the south. The wolf you just saw leave was a messenger. He told me that strange wolves visited their territory last night. Black wolves. Big wolves." Garth spoke loud:

"What? What are you talking about? How did Humphrey know this? Why does it imply us?" Winston put his paw up to silence him. After he was silent, Winston spoke in the same serious tone:

"This morning, Humphrey woke up with a start, feeling he was being watched. He reported to me this occurrence, along with similar situations in which it happened. All the situations it happened into, were from neutral to bad, and getting worse. He told me he felt something off this morning and that something bad would soon happen to the pack. I took his story for serious, but didn't think it was this serious." Winston stopped to think a bit. Then he continued:

"You won't understand what I am talking about, unless I start from the very beginning. Humphrey, do you remember when you were a pup? Anything from that time?"

Humphrey was taken by surprise and thought. Then he said:

"The first memory I have is when I was playing with Kate by the lake. I don't remember my parents or anything earlier than that."

"The truth is, Humphrey, you are not originally from this pack" Winston said with a heavy hearth.

"What?" Humphrey asked confused.

"Dad? Are you serious about this?" Kate asked.

"Yes, Kate. I am. I found Humphrey outside our most western border one night when I was on patrol. He was there with another wolf. That wolf was my friend and your father, Humphrey. He was injured. When I asked him what happened, he told me your pack had been attacked by black big wolves and that you two are the only survivors. The same wolves that are now on the territory south of our allies. While we were talking, they ambushed us. Your father fought them and told me to run and take care of you. And don't look back. While I was running with you, one of the black wolves cut my way. Then, out of nowhere, a silver furred wolf with black stripes helped me. The black wolf managed to injure you in your head. The silver wolf put her paw on your head and muttered something. She said you will be asleep for some days, and when you will wake up, you will remember nothing of this. She said that at some point, you will start to remember and when that time comes, to send you find her. But, I have to tell you one more thing. Do you know what the name of your pack was? The name was The Sentinels. And you were the son of Arthy, the leader of the Sentinels, his only son and child. Your mom's name was Senna…"Winston said, a tear in his eye.

The four wolves in front of him were shocked. Garth was the first to speak:

"But, the Sentinels and the Wretches are only myths. They didn't really exist, did they?"

"They did Garth. And the black wolves that attack the south now are the Wretches. And Humphrey here is the last Sentinel alive" Winston said looking at Humphrey with a serious look. Humphrey was speechless for a second, before he broke in a fit of crying. Kate quickly grabbed him and hugged him. She turned at looked at her father:

"Are you telling me Humphrey is a Sentinel? And a war with the Wretches is about to break in the south? And all so that the Wretches can get to Humphrey? And Humphrey has to go and find that strange muttering wolf? You have got to be kidding dad."

"Kate, I am afraid I am not kidding in the slightest. This is the truth and Humphrey has to face his destiny. I am sorry your week together and your time together was cut so short by this news. But I knew the moment Humphrey said he felt something wrong, that the powers in him, in his mind, have finally awakened. I am not happy with the decisions I must take, but they are necessary. He will be leaving tomorrow to the western border and beyond that to find the strange muttering wolf. I will put all Alphas on alert" Winston said as he turned around.

"Sir…" Humphrey called weakly, recovering from the tears he had been crying for the last part of the time.

"Yes Humphrey?" Winston said turning at him.

"I will go. But only on one condition. Kate comes with me" he added with a teary face, but a serious mask under his tears. Winston was about to say no, but looked at his daughter. She was going to go with him, no matter what he said. There was no point in arguing about that. He sighed and said:

"I will allow it. Take as much time as you two need with that strange wolf. If my suppositions are correct, she will train you Humphrey. She told me to tell you that the Sentinels had a saying : the cycle continues. Tell her that when you meet her. She will remember you for sure. Oh, and it will be the hardest training ever. Even harder than Alpha School. We will try to hold the front and don't let the Wretches attack out territory. Garth, go and wake up the Alphas. Set double patrol teams. Send a group of ten Alphas led by Hutch to the south. I promised we will help them. And we will. That is all" Winston said as he turned around and went back inside his den.

"Come on, honey. I will help you" Lilly said in a quiet voice as she and Garth walked away. Humphrey was still sniffling and Kate was trying to help him calm, by petting his back. When his tears dried, she said in a whisper in his ear:

"Let's go up there. We can talk there if you feel like it." Humphrey nodded, and they walked together to the secret area over the waterfall.

**-ten minutes and a short walk later-**

Kate sat down on the grass, among the flowers. Humphrey sat on her left and looked at the sun and the blue sky. Without any warning he spoke:

"Kate…do you remember what I said about my nightmares yesterday? The nightmares I had when I was little were about the scene Winston described. Only I saw the scene from up and didn't recognize the wolves. Now I see that that it is not a nightmare, but a memory. A painful memory." He sniffled a little and Kate put a paw around him, bringing him close.

"When I was little, as far as I can remember, I heard stories about the Sentinels. How they are more powerful than any wolf, any Alpha in existence. And how each of them is born with a gift. I always dreamed that one day, maybe I will become a Sentinel and protect all the wolves I love. I never imagined, however, how will I feel if I ever became one. Now, that I found out I am the last Sentinel, that my family is dead, that I am not from this pack, that my original pack is dead…I want all of this to be a nightmare and to wake up. It's…I don't know what or how it is…but it's not good. It feels really bad." Humphrey took a little break to calm himself, before he talked again:

"I am scared Kate…scared of the future. I am scared of the war I have to stop. I am scared of killing the Wretches. I am scared of losing you. And I am confused as to what I have to do. What will I do Kate? How will I go past all this?" Humphrey said looking at her, tears on the point of bursting in his eyes again. Kate looked at him with sad but compassionate eyes and said in a calm and soothing voice:

"I don't know, Humphrey. But, no matter your decisions, I will stand by your decisions and I will love you and offer my help how I can, no matter what. To tell you the truth, I am also scared, but I also heard the stories about the Sentinels. They were always the best wolves out there, so selfless, so kind, so ready to help everyone. To be blunt, Humphrey, I saw in you the soul of a Sentinel in the trip we had from Idaho back to Jasper Park."

"You did?" Humphrey asked with a surprised expression.

"Yes. And I know that no matter your decision, it will be a good one. Besides, the war hasn't started yet. Our pack is big, the southern pack is big, we don't know how many Wretches there are. Things are not as grim as they sound. You lost your parents, true, but they lost their lives protecting you. You lost your old pack, true, but if you didn't you would have never met me, and I would have never became the mate of the kindest wolf there is. Somehow, the only thing that comes to my mind, is the saying of the Sentinels. They are right. The cycle continues. Time passes. Life moves on. You might have not started it too good, but look where you are now. You have this pack, you have your friends, you have me. I love you Humphrey" Kate said giving him a big hug and licking the back of his head. She heard Humphrey sniffle one more time before he spoke:

"Thanks Kate. You really are the best." And he hugged her back tightly. They broke the hug a long time later. Kate stood in front of him and kissed him with all the passion she had, pushing him on his back and resting her body on his. She intertwined their tails and broke the kiss to look at the sky, which was getting dark. Night was coming. Humphrey turned her face back to him and kissed her again, letting his tongue slip in her mouth, both of them moaning in the kiss. They broke the kiss some time later and Kate rested her head on his chest, listening to his soothing hearth-beat. Humphrey hugged her body and rested his head on her head, bringing her closer. The night was already on them and the starry sky watched over them. They looked at the sky for a time before they fell asleep like that. The last thoughts on Humphrey's mind was Kate. And the strong desire to keep her safe in all this mess that was a second away from starting.

**Aaaaaand…scene. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit longer, but I guess it answered some questions and suppositions you guys had. If I have time, I'll write another one this weekend, but I am not sure. I really love this story I am writing and really enjoy writing it, but I have other school stuff to do. Tell me in a review what you think, what are your ideas, what are your suppositions. II enjoy reading them :D**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone. I know I said that chapter three will be the last for this week, but I just couldn't resist writing another one. I think I found my true passion, and that is writing. In the last year I spent time playing computer games, thinking that was my true passion. But then, the opportunity to get a certificate in English, English being my second language, came up. I said: Why the hell not, let's do this. I did it, passed with the second biggest grade, and then thought about writing. I began writing stories here some time before the test, but since then, my English improved. A lot. And I picked up this subject and now I just can't stop writing.**

**Enough rambling. Thanks to all my reviewers and your opinions. I really want to write a great story and I want to enjoy every moment of it. Well, let's see what happens next. Enjoy :D**

**Chapter 4 – Each journey starts with the first step**

A wing loudly flapped beside the pair of wolves over the waterfall. Humphrey opened his eyes to see what the noise was. He saw Marcel and Paddy smiling at them. He smiled at the two birds and turned to Kate. He saw she was still sleeping with her head on his chest, with a smile on her muzzle. He hated to wake her up. He preferred to watch over her until she woke up by herself. But he had no choice now and nuzzled Kate to wake her up. While nuzzling her, he felt her smell. She smelt like vanilla and summer flowers. Her fur was smooth and glossy. It felt wonderful to touch. Kate opened her eyes slowly, and looked at Humphrey with her beautiful eyes. She locked her eyes into his blue eyes and saw the love beaming from them.

"Kate, we have visitors" Humphrey whispered in her ear with a giggle in his voice. She looked around and saw Marcel and Paddy smiling at her.

"It looks we caught them at a good time today, sir" Paddy commented keeping his smile.

"Indeed, it does look like that" Marcel said chuckling to himself.

Kate was confused for a second, before she remembered last night and the way they fell asleep. She looked at Humphrey red in the face and whispered in the ear that was the furthest from the two visitors:

"Humphrey, could you let me get up, please?"

Humphrey giggled and whispered back in her ear:

"My paws were off of you the second I started nuzzling you." Kate looked at him surprised for a second and quickly got off of him, with a little embarrassment in her eyes.

"We are sorry for intruding on our favorite, high-maintenance couple, but we heard you are leaving in a journey, and we know that region west of this territory pretty well. Maybe we can be of some use?" Marcel commented, keeping his smile.

"I think it is okay if you two tag along, but only if Kate agrees" Humphrey said getting up and giving the two friends a hug. He looked back at Kate, who finally stopped her blush and came with a smile towards them. She sat down beside Humphrey and said:

"Of course you two can come. But I would prefer next time when you visit, to give us a couple of minutes before hand. What do you say?"

"It seems fair. Very well. When do we leave?" Marcel answered with his smile still on his face. Kate looked at Humphrey, waiting for him to speak, since it was his journey. He looked questioning back at her, before saying with a sheepish smile and a paw scratching the back of his head:

"After breakfast? I am kind of hungry right now." Right at that moment, Kate's stomach growled. All of them looked at her, before Humphrey broke the silence:

"And it looks like I am not the only one. Let's go catch a bite. It looks like the morning hunt is done." Kate looked over at the feeding grounds and saw he was right.

"We will be waiting for you somewhere near the western border. When you reach it, give us a howl" Paddy said with a smile, before he and Marcel took flight. Kate and Humphrey watched them fly away. Then Kate turned to Humphrey and got closer to him. She went as close as she could, their noses touching. Humphrey smiled as he broke the contact and kissed her with passion. She opened her muzzle and Humphrey invaded it with his tongue. He felt Kate doing the same, and they kissed for a couple of minutes. When Kate broke the kiss, Humphrey commented with his charming, and sometimes goofy, smile:

"Good morning to you too." Kate giggled and they started making their way down, their fur touching while they walked. When they reached the feeding grounds, the saw Lilly and Garth eating from a big caribou. Kate and Humphrey approached them and Humphrey asked:

"Hey Lilly, how was your hunt?" Lilly looked up and said a little sad:

"Scared the caribou when I got too close to him."

"Don't worry sis, you'll get the hang of it soon" Kate said with a grin a put a paw on her back. Lilly smiled and said:

"Do you guys want some?"

"Thanks. We kind of do, since after we eat, we leave" Humphrey commented as he dug in.

"Already? I thought you will be leaving at least a couple of days later" Garth commented surprised.

"The sooner, the better, I guess. But I decided that going sooner will help me more than going later or not at all" Humphrey said getting another mouth of caribou. Kate ate too, keeping silent. They finished their meal quickly and Humphrey said:

"We will be going now. See you two soon." Garth nodded and then did something even he couldn't ever think about. He gave Humphrey a hug. He broke it after a second and said in the most serious tone he had:

"Take care out there. And keep you and Kate safe. We will miss you, Humphrey." Lilly nodded and gave him and Kate a hug too. Humphrey and Kate smiled.

"Don't worry. We will be just fine. You two take care too. Keep yourselves safe. I already lost a pack and a family. Don't let me lose another one" Humphrey commented serious. Both Garth and Lilly smiled and nodded. Humphrey and Kate got up and started to walk towards the main den to let Winston know that they are leaving. After all, no one can leave the territory before he tells the leader, or a rescue mission will be sent after him.

As they were walking through the feeding grounds, while their fur touched at every step, Humphrey noticed that all the wolves behave very normally, like they knew nothing about he and Kate leaving. You'd think they would say goodbye to the leader's daughter and her mate if they knew. Humphrey turned to Kate and asked her in a whisper as they walked by many wolves from the pack:

"Do you think your father told them about our mission? Or do you think, that if he told them, he also told them to not make a scene?"

"I think my father didn't told them. And why would he?" she said turning to face him.

"Well, considering that this involves the entire pack…" Humphrey continued but stopped mid-sentence when he saw Winston coming towards them from the main den, two Alphas following him.

"Morning Winston" Humphrey called with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Humphrey. Just the wolf I was looking for. I was just going to your den to see if I could find you. When will you be leaving?" Winston asked with a caring smile.

"We were on our way to tell you that we are leaving" Humphrey said sitting down. Winston nodded and then turned to the two wolves beside him:

"You two, please make sure Humphrey and my daughter reach the western border safely. Then return to your patrol duties." He turned back to Humphrey and said:

"I haven't told Eve yet that you are leaving. If I told her, she wouldn't let Kate come. I will deal with her tonight. As you can see, I send two guards with you, just to be sure nothing goes afoot. May the stars watch over you two and may you return safely" Winston said giving Humphrey and Kate a big paternal hug. Kate and Humphrey hugged him too and left with the two guards towards the western border. Even though they were accompanied by two wolves, Kate and Humphrey didn't break their new behavior of walking leaning on each other. Humphrey saw with the corner of his eye, one of the guards give him a strange look but not making any comments.

"So…what are your names?" Humphrey said, looking at the guards with a smile and interest in his eyes.

"I am Butch and he is Corey. And you are Humphrey, right?" the guard that looked at him weird said. Humphrey nodded with a smile.

"So, where are you two headed?" Corey asked, trying to make some small talk.

"Didn't Winston tell you?" Humphrey asked with a confused look on his face. The two wolves shook their heads and Humphrey turned to Kate and whispered in her ear:

"Should we play a prank on them?" Kate smiled and nodded slightly, adding:

"It should be fun." Humphrey turned back to the guards and said:

"We are going in the honeymoon. We decided to take a trip west to see what we could find. We are also traveling with two of our friends, a French-Canadian goose and a British duck" Humphrey said with a sincere smile. The two guards looked at them strange and asked:

"Wait, you mean that goose that showed us golf and his small golden friend?"

"Yeah. The two of them" Kate said just as they reached the western border. Humphrey gave a short howl and then turned to the guards:

"Thank you for taking us here. We will manage from now on." The guards nodded, turned and left. Kate turned to Humphrey with a red face and a big grin on her face:

"Honeymoon? Really? That was your joke? Why would that be a joke?" Humphrey gave her an evil and playful grin and said:

"Just think about it. When Eve will hear we went in a honeymoon alone, with the two birds that would have let us repopulate Idaho Park…what would she say or do? And what will the guards think when they will confront Eve and Winston?" Kate looked at him confused for a second before catching on his plan. Her grin just grew and she said:

"You sly Omega. We will have to ask Lilly and Garth. It will be memorable to hear such a story. How long have you cooked this joke in you?"

"Just some months, in the eventuality of we getting together at one point and making a run for some time to go on an adventure" Humphrey said with a happy smile that Kate caught on his idea of joke. When Eve would find out, she would go crazy, drag the two guards to Winston, who will ask questions and the faces Eve, Butch and Corey would have would be just fantastic to see. Just then, Humphrey thoughts were interrupted by flapping of wings. Marcel and Paddy landed just beside them with smiles on their faces.

"I suppose you had a filling breakfast" Marcel said with a grin. Both Kate and Humphrey looked confused at him but nodded.

"Good, because around here, all wolves can eat are rabbits. And they are tricky to catch. That, or berries" Paddy explained.

"Oh man. And I thought that at least the trip would be fun" Humphrey said, whining a little. Kate giggled and whispered in his ear:

"It can be fun if you want it to be. And warm." Humphrey was confused for a second, looking at Kate, before she winked at him. His face went bright red and he said:

"I guess it will be a funny honeymoon then, don't you?" Kate laughed, holding her sides for a couple of minutes. When she stopped, Marcel said:

"Well, if you two are willing to start, you should continue west from here. We shouldn't need to change the direction until tomorrow morning. "

"Wait. I forgot to ask you. Do you know where we are going for real, right?" Humphrey said looking at him.

"Of course. We kind of overheard the story Winston told you yesterday morning. And I think we should be going to the former grounds of the Sentinel pack. Unless you have any other ideas" Marcel said with a kind smile. Humphrey nodded and said for himself:

"I guess it is the best place to start looking for that wolf." Marcel nodded too and he and Paddy took flight, gliding above the forest trees. Kate looked at Humphrey, as he looked at the two birds flying.

"You ready Humphrey?" she asked with a kind voice and a big smile. Humphrey nodded and they walked side by side, their fur touching as they leaned on one another. Even their heads were leaning on one another as they slowly walked towards their unknown destination. Kate could feel Humphrey's scent and took big breaths, liking the smell very much. Also, his ruffled fur that was not so silky smooth as her felt perfect on her fur. She moved her tail to find his and intertwined them. Humphrey took a big breath and a big sniff of Kate's smell and discovered that she smelled differently than that morning. She kept her vanilla smell but she smelled of fresh pines now. Or maybe it was his imagination. He didn't know. But the smile of his face grew every second and Kate saw that and her smile grew too, seeing him happy making her happy. Bur, his smile dropped as he stopped. Kate stopped too, not moving her head from touching his. She asked:

"Humphrey, is something wrong?" He just nodded and said:

"Kate…what if this path is…the wrong path for me? I am scared of the journey ahead of me." She nuzzled him with affection and said:

"Humphrey, I am sure that there is no better path for you at the moment and in the long run. As for the journey ahead of you…the first step is the hardest. And you already made that step. And I am sure you can make another one. Plus, you won't have to do it alone. I will be there for you, night and day." She made a step forward and Humphrey made it too. Then another. And another. They started walking again in the direction they were supposed to and Humphrey started smiling again. This time, it didn't fade and Kate smiled too, as she closed her eyes, feeling his fur, his breath and his hearth-beat in his breathing. She let herself be guided on the road ahead by her mate. Her brave soon-to-be Sentinel. And she thought about the way they made their first steps on the road of this journey that is life.

**Aaaaand…scene. I hope you liked this chapter. Again, I know I said the third one will be the last for this weekend, but I felt a push towards making another one. Review and tell me what you think of this, your ideas, your opinions, your suggestions or your rambling. I enjoy reading them and they help me very much in keeping my morale up. Hope you enjoyed and see you all soon :D**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. I am back with the next chapter for this story. I also decided to introduce a lemon in the story, not too far away from the beginning. And I won't mark its beginning or end. I just think that if you read an M-graded story, you should be expecting to read that kind of stuff too. It is just like cooking. It is very rude to put salt on the food before tasting it, right under the chefs eyes. I hope you will enjoy it :D**

**Chapter 5 – The Honeymoon**

Kate and Humphrey continued to walk towards west with a rapid decreasing light above them. The night was getting closer. Humphrey looked at the sky, sighed and turned to Kate.

"Do you think we should find somewhere to sleep tonight?" he asked with a relaxed smile. They have been walking all day, but he didn't feel tired. Of course, his legs hurt a little, but he enjoyed the walk and the company. And that made him happy.

Kate looked at the sky and nodded.

"We should search for a place to sleep. Also, maybe hunt a couple of rabbits. I am kind of hungry" she said stopping to look at Humphrey. She too was smiling, enjoying the walk so far.

"Well, I don't have much experience with hunting small and fast things. Maybe I should be searching for a place to spend the night and you could search for some food" Humphrey said, nuzzling her.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll give a howl when I have the food, but if you find a place, don't howl. You might scare the rabbits" she said, nuzzling him for a second and giving his face a lick, before beginning to sniff the ground, searching for a trail she could follow. She quickly found several trails made by rabbits and decided to follow one. She began walking silently through the forest while Humphrey looked at her. She knew he was looking, so she swayed her hips and tail with some added exuberance. After some steps, she turned and caught Humphrey looking at her with a big grin. She winked at him and disappeared in the forest, following the trail.

Humphrey, after being caught staring, blushed a little and turned around looking for a place to spend the night. Just then, Marcel and Paddy landed.

"Is something wrong, my boy? Why did we stop? And where is Mrs. Kate?" Marcel asked looking at Humphrey.

"She went to hunt some rabbits. And we stopped because night is falling and I wanted to search for a place to sleep tonight" Humphrey explained to the two.

"We saw a clearing not far away from here. It isn't very big and has a nice flat, big rock in the center. Maybe you two might enjoy the clearing" Marcel said with a smile.

"What direction?" Humphrey asked as Marcel pointed to the north-west. He started walking fast towards the clearing, keeping as quiet as he could. He reached the clearing in a matter of minutes and looked around. He spotted the rock pretty fast. It was big enough for them to sleep on it. And the trees around were not too close to one another. No one should be able to take them by surprise. He then looked for Marcel and Paddy, who sat on a branch somewhere close by. Humphrey kind of wanted for them to sleep further away, but maybe they would move later. Just then, he heard a howl some distance away. He could recognize it in an instant. It was Kate's. It meant the hunt was successful. He howled in response and waited for her to appear from the trees. A couple of minutes later, she appeared with a couple of rabbits in the mouth. He walked up the stone and set the dead rabbits down by her feet.

"This is a nice clearing. Did Marcel and Paddy see it from the air?" Kate asked looking around and seeing them in a tree not far away. They were talking about something.

"Yeah, they did. It is quite nice here. Also, the trees aren't very close to one another. We can see anyone who is about to come into the clearing" Humphrey said as she turned her attention to him again. She nodded and looked at the two birds again.

"Don't worry, Kate. Maybe they will leave to sleep a little farther away later" Humphrey commented and Kate blushed. It was typical to Humphrey to know what she was thinking about. She turned back to him and licked his cheek. He smiled and said:

"Let's eat. And maybe then we can look at the stars. It looks like a perfect night for star-gazing." Kate nodded and each of them grabbed a rabbit and began eating. The rabbits Kate caught were quite big. After eating half of his rabbit, Humphrey said:

"You know Kate, I think we are the only wolves for miles around here. It looks like this place is kind of deserted. I wonder why?"

"What makes you say that?" Kate asked leaving her half of the rabbit for an early breakfast tomorrow.

"Well, I don't want to be rude, but your hunt was fast, the rabbits were big and the forest was silent. To me, these are signs that this area is either deserted, or made to appear deserted. Plus, we howled at least half an hour ago. I think that if any wolf was nearby, he or she would have come to say hi, especially if this was their territory" Humphrey said laying on the rock. Kate thought for a second and then sat by him, pushing her right side in his left. Humphrey looked at her and smiled. Kate smiled too and said still looking at him:

"I just hope those two birds moved a little farther into the forest. It would be a shame if they spied on us." And she kissed him deeply. Humphrey received the kiss and closed his eyes. Kate slowly moved over his chest and laid her weight on him. Then she deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue in Humphrey's muzzle. Humphrey was taken by surprise and broke the kiss for a second to comment:

"I am sure they have. They are gentlemen after all." She flashed him a smile and he grinned, laughing a little, before he pulled her again in a passionate kiss.

**-some trees away-**

"Sir, I think it is not very nice to spy on them like this. Especially now" Paddy said as Kate dropped her weight over Humphrey, kissing him.

"I think that this time you are right, Paddy. Let's fly a little more into the forest" Marcel commented with a smile.

They took off and flew well outside of the clearing, leaving the two wolves on their own.

**-back to the two lovers on the stone-**

Humphrey slipped his tongue into Kate's muzzle, who moaned into the kiss. Both of them had their eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of their furs brushing against them, the way they smelled. Humphrey brought his front paws around Kate's back, pulling her closer to him. He could feel her body under the fur and it felt amazing. He started massaging her back, feeling her muscles beginning to relax. She sighed in pleasure in the kiss. She then began to giggle as something pressed on her underbelly. She opened her eyes to see Humphrey red face. She winked at him and broke the kiss. She then lifted herself for a couple of seconds, turned around and lied back down, hear rear now in Humphrey's face, while she eyed his wolfhood. Humphrey was a little taken by surprise by her but it didn't last too much. He felt something cold touch his wolfhood and moaned in pleasure. Kate just touched him with her nose, taking in his scent. He felt her breathing on his member, which began twitching with anticipation. He then gave another moan when Kate licked his member from its base to the tip. Humphrey was surprised with Kate but decided to take her by surprise too. He put his paws on her rear, bringing it a little closer to his muzzle, and pressed his nose to her entrance, taking in her smell. He heard Kate yelp in surprise before shuddering with pleasure. He grinned evilly and gave her entrance a lick. He felt her shudder again and continued licking her slowly and carefully. Kate kept shuddering at every touch, but she too surprised Humphrey when she took his member into her muzzle and began moving her head up and down in slow motions. Then she began to moan as she did it, giving Humphrey extra pleasure. He stopped his licking and whispered:

"Kate…I…am…c…close" before he returned to licking her. She heard him and picked up her pace a little. Meanwhile, Humphrey could feel his climax building, but he kept licking Kate's entrance. When he couldn't hold on any longer, he released. Kate moaned loudly as Humphrey released in her mouth. She also felt his tongue penetrate her entrance. She swallowed and then released her climax right on Humphrey's face. Humphrey licked hungrily and smiled when he was done. Kate immediately lifted herself again and turned around facing him. She nuzzled his neck, until he reached his ear and whispered:

"Ready for the main course, my love?" She felt Humphrey's tail starting to wag and took that as a yes. She lifted her face a little and kissed him deeply, slipping her tongue into his mouth. Then, while they were kissing, she aligned her entrance to his member and let gravity do the rest. When he was fully inside her, she moaned in the kiss. Humphrey moaned too. They stood like that almost half a minute, Kate getting used to feeling Humphrey inside her. After that, she started moving her waist up and down. Step by step, she increased her speed, moaning with each movement in their never-ending kiss. Soon, Humphrey joined her, meeting each of her downward movements with a forward push. Soon, Kate felt Humphrey's knot trying to enter her. She opened her eyes and nodded at Humphrey, who nodded back. He made a strong push forward, while Kate made a strong push downwards, the knot going inside. Then he released his seed in her womb with a loud moan in their kiss. After a couple of more minutes of kissing, Humphrey broke this kiss and smiled at Kate who smiled back. Then she got up, carefully turned her body and sat with her back on his chest, her head under his, looking at the sky. Humphrey slowly put his paws around her chest and sighed happily, nuzzling her head and behind her ears. Kate enjoyed it and said:

"You were right. Tonight really is a good night for star gazing." She heard Humphrey chuckle in her fur and her grin grew.

"Look at the moon. It's so beautiful" Kate added, making Humphrey take his head from under her back and rest it on her head.

"Yeah, it is. But, for me, the moon is the second most beautiful thing in the world" he said with happiness obvious in his voice.

"Is that so? And what is the first most beautiful thing in the world?" Kate asked, already knowing the answer. Humphrey shrugged and answered matter-of-factly:

"You." They stood in silence for some time, watching the stars and the moon.

"You know Kate, some nights when I was small and I couldn't sleep, I looked at the moon and thought about you. I used to imagine the two of us laughing together, playing together, living together and being happy ever after. It calmed me and I could sleep again" Humphrey said in a calm and soothing voice, hugging her tighter.

"That is so sweet, Humphrey. Maybe we should make the moon our beacon of hope in our life, beside each other" Kate said with a small smile, pressing her back harder on his chest.

"I'd like that" Humphrey commented, chuckling a little and nuzzling Kate again. She smiled and relaxed in his embrace. After that, they both went quiet and gazed at the stars. When they finally could, they separated and Humphrey turned on his side, with Kate's back still pressed on his chest and her head still under her. He intertwined their tails and then moved them so that the tails stood in front of Kate in a protective way. Kate smiled, licked him one last time on the cheek, looked into his sky-like eyes and said in a whisper:

"I love you Humphrey."

"And I love you" he answered with a smile and then, they fell asleep, wondering what will the morning bring.

**Aaaaand…scene. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was kind of short, but it has to be like that :D**

**Something you might have a question about is why I did not mention Kate's hymen in the mating scene. It was because, due to the Alpha training and combat training, the hymen gets broken by the extreme physical exercises. It is common knowledge between the wolves so there is no need to bring such things to attention :D**

**Tell me what you think, what you liked, what you did not like and what are your thoughts in general about this story, in special the love scene, since I am kind of newb when it comes to writing that kind of stuff. Thanks for reading.**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone. Here I am again with another chapter for you lovely people out there that read my story and enjoy doing this as much as I enjoy writing it. So, I wanted to say a couple of things about this story…one of the things that inspired me was the game To The Moon which belongs to their respective owner whose name I can't remember at the moment. Also, some of you might think that the reason I am writing and asking for opinions at the end of each chapter is because I like to get many views and reviews so that I can become a known author of the site. I want to assure those of you that think this, that, although this is the ultimate goal of each of the writers on this site, I am not about the destination. I merely enjoy the ride. Which means that I write because I like to and I share because I want others to be happy, cry or have feelings along with the characters of the stories. There are some awesome writers on this site and I congratulate them for their talent, but I have a lot to improve to get to that level. And, for those of you who are merely watchers, or for those of you who are authors but don't know yet, writing a story is like reading it for the first time. Each emotion you try to express through words, you explore along with the characters. If the moment you are writing about is sad, you will feel it, if it is happy, you will feel it…**

**Anyway, just wanted to shine light on some, maybe, obvious things of the process of writing a story :D Maybe you will find them useful some time in your lives…**

**But, let's leave that aside for now and focus on the story, shall we? Enjoy :D**

**Chapter 6 – Origins**

A strong wind blew through the trees in the forest. A quick rain with small drops that were colder than ice started out of nowhere, and lighting was there to light the sky in the absence of the moon. Humphrey was running through the forest. His fur was wet, his legs hurt. But his face…his face had the signs of horror. He was running from something terrible. Yet he couldn't remember what. But he kept running. The longer he ran, the safer he felt. That is, until a silver wolf with black stripes and stripes of blood over her fur stopped him in his tracks. She looked him dead in the eyes and spoke in a voice more powerful than the storm:

"Wake up. NOW! DANGER!" Then her image faded.

**-back to reality-**

Humphrey opened his eyes with a start. His fur was drenched in sweat. He quickly noticed Kate was still in his paws. Then the voice in his dream hit him again. His face turned into one of horror as he quickly picked Kate up on his back and began running. He ran from the clearing as fast as he could, not looking back. He had that feeling that he was being watched again. He didn't want to risk it. Because he was running, he didn't notice Kate woke up.

"Humphrey? What is going on?" she asked from his back in a whisper, her ears suddenly perked up and her fur on end. Without stopping from his marathon, Humphrey responded:

"That feeling again. A bad nightmare that seemed real. The wolf we are searching gave me a warning. She said to wake up and run. Danger is coming." Tears were falling from his eyes, and he was sweating profoundly. Kate noticed this and said:

"Let me down. Then we will continue to run." Humphrey stopped for a second while Kate got off of his back and then they started running together. After another couple of minutes, they reached a river and quickly crossed it so that their smell was lost. Then they ran some more, until they reached the forest again. Than Humphrey stopped and began breathing heavily. Kate stopped too and sat by him, putting a paw on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. After she waited for a couple of minutes, Humphrey said:

"I had a nightmare. I was alone, running terrified through a cold rain. Then the silver wolf with black stripes and stripes of blood stopped me and said to wake up in that instant. She only said one word after: danger. I woke up with a start. I quickly looked around and saw you were still sleeping. Then that feeling of being watched hit me again. And this time it was more intense than that morning. I quickly put you on my back and started running to where my instinct told me to…" he finished with a couple of big breaths, tears again in his eyes. Kate came closer to him and used the tip of her tail to dry his tears and tried to calm him:

"Humphrey, we are at least twenty miles away from the clearing by now. I don't think we have been followed by anyone…not even Marcel and Paddy. Don't worry about them. They will find us. They always do. I think we are safe for now."

Humphrey slowly nodded and he said, trying to hold his calm, but failing:

"Kate, I was afraid I would lose you. What would have happened if I didn't wake up? What would have happened if I was too late? What then?!" Kate sighed and gave him a big hug. She put her head on his left shoulder and whispered in his ear:

"But you weren't. And even though we are a little tired now, we are alive…and no one seems to have followed us. I believe you that we were in danger. And I love you even more because the first thing you did was to take me and run as fast as you could to try and save us both. We don't have to worry with what might have been. We are here now, alive and together." She then slowly raised her head and eyes from his shoulder to look him in the eyes. She locked eyes with him and saw worry and fear, but most of all, she saw selflessness and love for her. She smiled and hugged him again, this time not looking back up. A couple of seconds later, a pair of shaking legs embraced her too. And they stood like that for some time, Humphrey still crying on her back, but beginning to calm down. Soon, his shakiness stopped and the tears dried. Kate broke the embrace and looked at him again. She asked with a calming smile:

"Better now?" Humphrey nodded and smiled a little too.

"Okay…now we need to find out where we are…and where will we go from here to reach that strange wolf" Kate said as she began looking around.

"Kate…I think I know where to find her" Humphrey said calmly.

"You do? How?" Kate asked surprised.

"I just think I know where she might be. It's a feeling" he answered looking at her, not knowing how to explain. Kate nodded and said:

"Let's go then." She pressed her side against his and they both started walking, Kate letting herself be guided by Humphrey. They walked for the best part of the morning, until they reached a small clearing, even smaller than the one before. The clearing had a small hill in the center. A hill big enough to hide a den. Humphrey and Kate walked around until they reached the other part of the hill and saw the entrance to a den which had a small fire burning inside.

"Who are you two and what are you doing here?" a voice spoke behind them. Both Kate and Humphrey turned in a hurry and saw a silver wolf with black stripes and with some herbs in its mouth coming towards them.

"The cycle continues" Humphrey said looking at her with suspicion in his eyes. Her reaction was instant. She dropped her herbs and looked around carefully, before turning to them and asking:

"You haven't been followed, have you?"

"We don't know. We think we weren't" Humphrey said as she nodded, picked up her herbs and pushed the two of them inside the den. After they were all settled down, Kate and Humphrey as far away from the fire as they could, the silver wolf spoke:

"It is good to see you again Humphrey. Come closer to the fire, it won't hurt either of you. It is a special kind of fire." Both he and Kate came a little closer to the fire, while the wolf was mixing some things in two bowls.

"You two might be wondering who I am. I have many names, but I am sure you have heard of this one. My name is Sally" the strange wolf said with a grin, looking at them both.

"No way. That Sally?" Humphrey asked with horror on his face. Kate looked at his with confusion and Sally spoke again:

"I see that your mate is a little confused. Kate…yes, I do know your name. I will explain everything while you two eat." She pushed the two bowls towards them and they smelled them.

"What is this?" Humphrey asked.

"It is food. Plants to be exact. They will cure your tiredness. Plus they are very nutritious, even though they don't taste too good" Sally said. Humphrey nodded and took a mouthful of herbs, while Kate eyes him for a second, before doing the same.

"So, Kate and Humphrey, let me present myself. As I said, my name is Sally. Bloody Sally. Why I have this nickname, you ask? Because I am a wolf-witch. I was and am the ally of the Sentinels. I have joined their pack about one hundred years ago, when your grandfather ruled it" Sally said with a smile as Humphrey finished his bowl of herbs and asked:

"So…it was you that sent me that dream last night?"

"The part where I told you to wake up? Yes. I sensed danger following you last night. I had to warn you. Although, that took almost all of my power. You have a strong mind, Humphrey. Even stronger than your father" Sally answered with a smile. Just then, Kate finished eating and said:

"What kind of danger?"

"That, I could not see…anyway, I think we have more pressing matters at the moment. You were going to go to the old territory of the Sentinels, weren't you? Well, before that, I think it is time Humphrey found out the entire legend of the Sentinels. And it looks like we have just enough time until darkness falls" Sally said, looking outside at the sky. She remained like that for a couple of moments, before she said:

"Everything started with the war between two brothers whose names have been forgotten by time. They were the original Sentinel and Wretch. That was a few thousand years ago. The Sentinels were the good part in this war, the older brother wishing that his younger brother would forgive him for making a stupid mistake, and wishing for peace. The younger brother wanted revenge on his older brother for some small mistake he made. So they separated, each of them starting his own pack. These two brothers were the two sons of the greatest wolf of all time. The Great Fehernrir, the first wolf. They were born with powers beyond normal wolves. As generations passed, the war has been passed from father to son. And so have been the abilities. The Sentinels were able to save another wolf from death, by offering themselves instead…the ultimate sacrifice. The power of the Wretches remains unknown to this day, for the younger brother never used it. And no wolf who has seen it, remained alive to tell the tale. Also, the Sentinels were both better than a normal Alpha or Omega. They had mental strength and the strategies of Omegas, but combined with a superior physical power. More power than a normal Alpha had. The Wretches, on the other hand, gave all they had to become more powerful, ignoring their mind and focusing on raw physical power, a decision that lead to their defeat in every battle…except the one that happened when the Sentinels were almost killed for good, three years ago."

Sally took a break, taking in some air and looked at Humphrey and Kate, observing their faces and reading their emotions to the best of her abilities.

"Tomorrow, Humphrey, your training as a Sentinel will begin. We will go to the old training grounds, which pass through the original grounds of the pack. Your mate can come too and she can train if she wishes… Now, rest. Both of you. You will need it for tomorrow. "Then Sally was silent. She got up and left the den. Humphrey got up, walked a little further away from the fire and laid back down. Kate looked at him all this time and saw that his smile was gone, being replaced by a frown. She got up and walked to him, laying down beside him, her face to his face. He didn't even seem to see her. She put her paw on his cheek and he raised his eyes. He flashed her a small smile, before Kate spoke:

"Humphrey, are you alright? You don't look too well…"

"I am fine, physically speaking. But…this is too much. Too much to take in at the time. Me, descendant of the first Wolf? Capable to sacrifice myself to save another from death? Stronger than an Alpha?" he said looking worried and searching Kate's face for an answer. Kate looked at his worried face, not knowing what to say. He was right, it was a lot to take in all of a sudden. But, regardless, she spoke:

"Humphrey, it is your legacy. And, I have to admit, it is a lot to take in on the spot, but you know what?" This caught Humphrey's attention, his eyes, unmoving from his target. Kate's eyes were emanating love and affection and he could see it.

"What?" he asked in a whisper.

"I think you will be the best Sentinel there ever was. And remember what I told you? I will be there, right beside you. I will train with you, I will help you become one. And you know why?" Kate asked, a warming smile on her face:

"Why?" Humphrey asked, his eyes still fixed in her eyes.

"Because I believe in you, Humphrey. I believe that you will be who you are born to be and I will love you regardless of what lies ahead" Kate answered, seeing a small smile form on Humphrey's face again. He nodded slowly and said:

"I love you too, Kate. And I will do my best to become the best Sentinel and make my parents, my former pack, Winston, Eve, my current pack and you, the best friend I ever had and the wolf I have the pleasure to call mate and who I love with all my hearth, proud." Kate's smile grew even bigger and said:

"This is the Humphrey I know and love so much" before she hugged him and buried her face in his chest. Humphrey closed his eyes and embraced her too, borrowing his head in the fur on her back. A couple of minutes later, Humphrey broke the hug and said:

"What did I do to get such a supportive mate, I will never know. Should we get some sleep, considering that we both have training tomorrow?" Kate nodded and turned around, pushing her back in his chest and placing her head in such a way that she could hear his heart. It was a calming music to her ears and she soon fell asleep. Humphrey brought her closer and intertwined their tails, placing them around her protectively. However, he didn't fall asleep. He looked at the sky, where the moon was shining. He whispered:

"A beacon of hope…" and smiled, nuzzling Kate's neck and falling asleep, thinking about the training tomorrow and the decision he made tonight to become the greatest Sentinel that ever existed in order to protect Kate.

**Aaaaaaand…scene. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Tell me what your thoughts are, as I enjoy reading them :D**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone. Here I am again, spending another night writing. Now, I know it hasn't been so much since the last chapter, only I know the feeling you have when you read or do something you enjoy and you want to see the continuation, as soon as you can, because you are trapped in the story( or is that just me?). Anyway, a small thing to keep in mind: this story follows the story of Kate and Humphrey. I will not break the narration to go see what other characters do. If you want that kind of stuff, I will MAYBE write an alternate story, but, to tell you the thing, it bores me to not follow the main character through his doings, and instead to follow the secondary ones. I am not yet sure if I will do alternate stories from different points of views, but I will consider it.**

**Also, to answer the guest review: I will finish this story, but in my own time and when I consider it to be good. So, don't worry about that :D**

**Aaaaaaanyway, I have another chapter for you beautiful guys and girls out there. I hope you will enjoy it :D**

**One more thing…if you want to experience the full impact of this chapter, read it while listening to this : www. /watch?v= 0YRICEt7XiY**

**Just remove the spaces :D**

**Chapter 7 – Ground Zero**

The morning sun shone brightly over the forest where the small clearing with the hill and the den was. Two wolves were still sleeping peacefully inside. Another one was watching the sky with a knowing face. There was a small breeze and the grass around the clearing moved. The wolf's silver fur moved with the breeze. The sun was barely up, lighting her face. For a second, her face betrayed her years. In the end, she nodded and walked inside towards the two wolves still deep in their slumber. With a paw, she nudged Humphrey's face, which opened his eyes slowly. Sally spoke:

"You two should get up soon, if we want to get some training done. I'll leave the pleasure to waking her to you. I don't do that kind of stuff. I'll be outside, waiting." Then, Sally got up, nodded one more time to herself and left the den. Humphrey blinked a couple of times to get rid of the sleepiness in his eyes and then stretched his neck for a couple of seconds, before gently nudging Kate and giving her cheek a few licks. Kate slowly opened her eyes, a smile creeping on her face. She sighed and turned around, giving Humphrey's chest an embrace and resting her head on him. Humphrey smiled and licked her other cheek a couple of times, while giving her a morning hug too. Her smile grew and their intertwined tails began wagging weakly. Humphrey nuzzled her neck a couple of times, before Kate finally opened her eyes and said with a sly smile:

"Are you trying to wake me up or seduce me and get me back to sleep?"

"To wake you up. But gently. Maybe make up for the other morning" Humphrey said, touching her forehead with his, his eyes focused on her eyes. Kate giggled and quickly kissed him, before breaking the hug and getting up to stretch. Humphrey stretched too, and then they walked outside. Sally was there, still looking at the sky. She turned to them and said:

"That took you two long enough. Well, let's get going. The training was supposed to begin at dawn, but today is the first day, so I'll go easy on you. But starting tomorrow, we will keep a strict schedule, which I want you two to respect. Got it?"

"Yes" Humphrey said with a smile as they both nodded to a Sally with her back turned to them.

"Good. Now, follow me. I will take you to the ancient ground of the Sentinels. But first…Humphrey come here" Sally said turning to them. Humphrey's smile faded a little as he came face to face with Sally. He was taller than her with about a head.

"Lower your head" she said lifting one of her paws. Humphrey did as he was told. When his head was low enough, Sally said:

"Kate, please come here and hold him. I am afraid that a fit of tears will follow what I am going to do." Kate had a suspicious look in her eyes and wanted to say something, but did as she was told. She went beside Humphrey and put a paw around him. Sally nodded and then said:

"Now, Humphrey, close your eyes. I will lift the sigil I put on your mind to stop your Sentinel abilities and your memories." Humphrey closed his eyes, searching with a paw Kate's other paw. She saw him searching and gave her paw to his, which he squeezed gently. Then Sally began mumbling under her breath. She drew several symbols in Humphrey's fur on his head and then erased them. Then, she mumbled some more, before she closed her eyes for a minute. Then she suddenly opened them and roared:

"RELEASE!"

Kate immediately felt a pain in her paw as Humphrey squeezed really hard. She also saw Humphrey's back arch as if he was shocked and a couple of tears appear in his eyes. Then he sighed in relief, his body relaxing. He released Kate's paw from his and wiping his tears. Sally opened his eyes with her paws and looked straight in them. She asked, a confused expression on her face:

"Do you remember anything from what happened that day? Did you feel anything?"

"I don't remember anything specifically…but I felt as if my whole body tensed for a second and then relaxed completely. Although, my head hurts a little" Humphrey said as he put a paw to his forehead. Sally smiled and said:

'You mind is even tougher that I thought…The things you describe prove that the seal has been released and that the limitations on your muscles and brain have been removed as well. You will now be able to achieve the strength and intelligence of a Sentinel…which brings us to the tears and the headache…they are merely the result of the sudden mental release. But, as far as your memories goes, because your mind is the way it is, my powers are not enough to force the bind your own mind made to block them. For you to remember, we will need some stimuli."

Humphrey and Kate looked at her, confusion on their faces. Sally sighed and said in an over-done baby-voice :

"For your memories to return, we will need to show you or make you feel something you felt when you lost them. So, to the grounds of the Sentinels it is. Follow me."

Both of their faces betrayed their understanding as they began laughing. Sally stopped and asked them:

"Did you two just trick me into using a baby-voice to explain stuff?"

"Yep. And it worked" Kate said with a smile.

"Totally" Humphrey said with a grin. Sally sighed and began walking away. Humphrey got up and followed her, with Kate by his side, leaning against him as she always did. They walked at an average pace through the forest.

"So how did you do it?" Sally asked, not turning to look at them.

"Do what?" Humphrey asked with a grin.

"Plan to fool me. I didn't see you talking or making any eye-contact while I talked" Sally explained with a confused voice.

"We just had the same idea at the same time. And we thought it would be fun" Kate said with a smile. Sally stopped and turned to them, a grin on her face:

"Did you two mate?"

Both Humphrey and Kate stopped confused, but blushing strongly.

"So you did" Sally said, her smile growing bigger.

"And what if we did?" Humphrey asked with a calm voice and he began walking again, following Sally who had started walking too.

"Well…I heard of cases where the mates of Sentinels could sometimes tune to the Sentinel's instincts, sometimes even doing the same actions and saying the same phrases as them. But I thought it was just a myth…Maybe it is real" Sally explained, not looking at them.

"So…basically we can read each other's minds?" Humphrey asked genuinely confused as how a thing such this exists.

"Yes…and no. Not the minds, but the instincts. So…let's assume that one of you wants to do something…and the other one kind of wants to do it too…you will both have the same idea, both of them doing the same thing…it's kind of difficult to explain" Sally said with a laugh. Humphrey and Kate too started laughing and all of them continued walking. That is, until Humphrey stopped dead in his tracks, looking at a tree. Kate stopped too and said:

"Humphrey, are you alright?"

When Sally heard this, she turned around looking at Humphrey, now moving closer to the tree.

"I know this tree" he mumbled as he grabbed his head in pain. His vision flickered in front of his eyes than faded for a couple of seconds.

**-Humphrey's memory-**

"My son, go now. You saw what they did to our home. Go with Winston. He is a good friend of mine. He will take care of you. You are the last hope of survival the Sentinels have" a big blue-ish wolf said looking at Humphrey. The eyes of the wolf were deep-blue and fierce but caring. This was Arthy, Humphrey's father. The cub he was talking to and who looked at Winston with suspicion was Humphrey.

"Okay dad, let's go with Winston" the small Humphrey said, taking a step forward.

"No Humphrey. You will go with Winston. I will cover your escape. The cycle must continue" Arthy said with a big smile as he nuzzled him.

"But dad, I want you to come too. We can all run away" Humphrey said as Winston picked him up and put him on his back.

"I wish I could, Humphrey, but you are far more important than I am" Arthy said, a tear forming in his left eye. The small Humphrey began crying and through his tears said:

"Will I ever see you again?"

"One day, we will meet again, Humphrey. And when that day comes, we will never part again. Now go and don't stop" Arthy said as the tear fell from his eye as he turned around where twenty black wolves were about to pounce on them.

**-end of flashback-**

"Dad" Humphrey whispered as he took the paws of his head, the pain subsiding. He didn't even notice Kate near him and looked around himself, as if searching for something. He found a small mound of dirt that was strangely placed and walked to it. His tears began falling as Kate walked by him and put a paw around him. He turned and cried for a couple of minutes in her fur. When he calmed down, Kate asked:

"What happened, Humphrey?" Humphrey sniffled a couple of times and said:

"This is the place where I last saw my father. And I just relieved that day. And this here is his grave." Kate's face was in shock as to what happened and looked at the mound of dirt. She pointed a claw to the dirt and began writing with the claw. She wrote:

_'In the memory of Arthy, a loving father and a great leader.'_

Humphrey looked at her as she wrote and nuzzled her when she finished. He then wrote something too:

_'He will never be forgotten and his sacrifice will never be in vain. The cycle continues.'_

Sally, who saw the scene now came closer and said:

"These are the tears I expected earlier. What did you see? What triggered the memory?" Humphrey looked at her and said in a pained voice and some irritation:

"The tree over there. I saw the moments the Wretches were about to attack and how Winston ran with me on his back. I relieved that memory. And I remember now that the last thing I saw before I turned around, not wanting to see my father die, was that tree." Sally nodded and said:

"Let's continue. We are close to the original grounds of the Sentinels. Up to this point is the territory the western pack used to have. But they made it smaller, fearing for an attack." Both Kate and Humphrey nodded as they walked again, side by side, leaning on one another and following Sally. They walked for a couple of more minutes, before Sally stopped in front of some bushes.

"Now, this is the entrance to the Sentinel's main grounds. Just so you know what to expect. Ready?" Both of them nodded and they all stepped through the bushes. What Humphrey saw, shocked him. In the clearing that was easily bigger than the feeding grounds of the western pack, sat only a very tall tree and several hills big enough to have dens inside them. And all over the clearing there were mounds of dirt everywhere he looked, each of them covering the body of one of the wolves in his old pack.

"So many…and they are all gone" he whispered for himself in disbelief, but he was heard by Kate, who too looked around and realized that there were easy over a hundred mounds. She turned to Humphrey, who now was looking straight forward. She followed his gaze and it fell on the greatest tree in the clearing they were in. At the base of the clearing, a den opened.

"My home" Humphrey whispered as he passed the mounds of dirt to reach the den. But he stopped as fast as he started walking, a strong pain hitting his head. He fell to the ground shaking. Kate was beside him in an instant. Sally too was there and she said in the calmest voice she could:

"Don't fight in Humphrey. Let it flow through you. Only then will you be whole again." Then she turned to Kate:

"Don't get in his way. Just watch for the moment." Kate nodded and looked at Humphrey who was no longer shaking but looking around him with wide eyes, the images of the memories and the images of the real world overlapping in his eyes. He again started walking towards the tree. This time, he no longer whispered, but spoke aloud:

"The Tree of Justice." The he turned around and walked to the nearest den that was away from the tree.

"Britney's den. She was the healer of the pack. She took care of me when my parents were hunting. She always knew the best bedtime stories" He turned again and walked past Kate, a tear forming in his eye, to another den that had the opening towards the forest.

"Tom and Jenny's den. The leaders of the Omegas and my friends. I used to play with them when I was small…"

He looked around him and pointed with his claw to the mounds of dirt. At each mound he stopped, he said a name of one of his friends, each time, one more tear escaping his eyes.

After he made a complete circle, he turned again and looked again at the big tree as he slowly walked towards the entrance of the den. When he was half way through, tears began flowing from his eyes, but his walking speed did not increase.

"And there is me. Playing with my mom and dad. And Tom. Britney is there too. And Jenny. And Michael. All the pack is here…all looking so happy and safe…"

He walked up to the entrance of the den, and then stopped and stood there for some time, his weeping being heard by Kate. She wanted to walk to his side, but knew that would only make it worse. Then he called, without turning:

"Kate, could you please come here?" Kate got up and walked towards her mate with uncertain steps. She was not sure what to say or to do. Any wrong word could tip the balance of Humphrey's feelings. When she reached him, she saw he was looking at another mound of dirt. Then she heard him speaking, pain clear in his voice and entire streams of tears falling on the mound. But there was something else there. Regret, love, misery:

"This is where she died. Protecting me. This is Senna's grave…my mother's grave." Kate couldn't hold back any longer and let her own tears fall. Her tears mixed with Humphrey's as they hit the ground. Humphrey put a paw around her and embraced her, crying in her fur, while she did the same. How could she not? Her mate's life was a mess. His family dead, his original pack, all his friends, all the wolves he knew when he was small and before he joined Winston's pack, dead. The grounds his pack once ruled, a ruin. The main grounds, full of graves. The dens, deserted. The wolves that lived here only lived now in Humphrey's memory. It was indeed soul-crushing. The train of her thoughts was interrupted when Humphrey broke the hug and began writing on her grave:

_'Here lies Senna. A loving mother, a caring mate, a devoted Sentinel. May her life not have gone in vain.'_

Humphrey stopped and looked at Kate. She raised her leg, her paw trembling, and wrote a little bit under Humphrey's writing:

_'She won't be forgotten. The cycle continues.'_

Humphrey smiled a watery smile and got up, with Kate following him. They turned to where Sally was standing, observing their reactions. They walked still side by side, their fur touching. Kate felt the need to comfort Humphrey even more, so she intertwined her tail with his. They walked like this until they reached Sally, and then stood there. Humphrey asked, drying his tears, but pain still in his voice:

"Thank you, Sally. Thank you for making me whole again. I will not forget this. Do you think me and Kate can spend this night here, when we are finished with the training?"

"Tonight and every night from now until your training ends" Sally said with a kind smile. Humphrey nodded and Kate smiled at her mate, drying her tears. Sally waited for one more minute, then asked:

"Are you two ready to begin training?" They nodded and Sally took them to the training grounds, which were a little distance away from the main grounds. They stopped under some tall pines that only had some branches. There was also a clearing some distance away and even a river. Sally sat down and turned to face them.

"From today and for the next month, you will train together. Humphrey, you will build muscle by running, swimming and hunting. You will learn agility by jumping from branch to branch in a course you will choose for yourself in the trees above us. You will train your mind by fighting off nightmares and my presence. We will have special sessions for that and I will explain how it will go then. Kate, you will do the same physical training as he does. I am not sure how well you will do on the tree part, but we will start easy. The mind training however, is only for Humphrey, since his mind works differently. Understood? Can we begin?" Sally asked.

"Yes" Humphrey and Kate said at the same time.

"Good. We will start by doing twenty laps around that clearing. Then we will do swimming for an hour. And so on until night falls." She stopped talking and seemed to fall asleep for a second, before another silver wolf seemed to shiver in existence beside her. Humphrey and Kate stood there wide eyes and both Sally and the other Sally opened their eyes.

"What is this?" Humphrey asked confused.

"As I said, I am a witch-wolf. And this is a mere image of myself. However, I can see through its eyes. I will observe the both of you as you train while I go hunting. If you do well, you will eat well. Else you will do it again, until it is done well" Sally said serious. Both Humphrey and Kate nodded.

"Off to training then" Sally said as Humphrey, Kate and the image of Sally walked towards the clearing.

**-a session of training, a lunch and another session of training and a dinner later-**

Kate and Humphrey finally managed to enter the main den under the tree. They were physically exhausted but happy that they managed to complete their training. Humphrey sat down in the middle of the den and Kate sat by him. She was more exhausted than she has been when she was in Alpha training. Humphrey put a paw around her and brought her closer. She licked his face and he smiled and nuzzled her neck. She put her head under his and he put his head over her head. They were too tired for words now. Humphrey intertwined their tails and they fell asleep very fast.

**-two hours later-**

Kate opened her eyes because she felt cold.

"Humphrey, where are you?" Kate whispered as she looked around the den. She was alone inside.

"Humphrey" she called again as she got up. She walked outside and saw Humphrey by one of the mounds, writing on it. She walked to him and asked in a concerned face as she saw him crying but with a smile on his face:

"Are you okay Humphrey? Why are you outside?"

He looked at her and said:

"I just thought I would give all of my friends a proper goodbye. They are in a better place now." Kate looked at him, before looking at the mound and at the writing. It said:

_'A fellow Sentinel. The sacrifice won't be in vain. The cycle continues.'_

She smiled, understanding Humphrey's desire. He needed to do this to be at peace with himself. She nodded and followed him, sitting by him and letting him cry on her shoulder each time he needed, until every mound had their own message. Then, after he wrote the last message, Humphrey turned at Kate and smiled. He then said through his tears:

"Thank you, Kate. For being here for me. For training with me. For understanding."

"Always Humphrey. Always" Kate answered in a whisper as she embraced him and they fell asleep like that, the moon shining over them. A new cycle of night and day was about to begin, and with it, another day of training.

**Aaaaaaand…scene. Here it is folks. A slightly longer chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you think, what you liked, and what you didn't. I'll be seeing all of you soon :D**

**Until then, LionPranskter, over and out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone. I know this took me some time, but here is the next chapter of this story. I have been busy writing one of the later chapters (probably around 15 or 30) that I had some awesome ideas on and felt the need to get them down asap, before I forget them :))))**

**Anyway, rambling doesn't get us anywhere, so enjoy the chapter :D**

**Chapter 8 - The Dark Truth**

The globe of gold that was the sun, began showing its face through the branches of the forest surrounding the ancient grounds of the Sentinels. Near the center of the main grounds, among the desolate amount of graves, on their feet, slept a couple of wolves. Each of them had their tail around the others back, making it look from above as if they formed a circle, a cycle of yin and yang. Their fur melted together, the colors complementing themselves perfectly. The male with his grey and blue coat, peaceful as the water, the female with her golden fur, shining brighter and stronger than the Sun.

The leaves of the forest began moving with a breeze of the early morning. Humphrey opened his eyes, but didn't move. The first look of the graves in the morning scared him. Only after a couple of seconds, it all came back to him. He spent most of the night crying, writing messages on the graves, giving his old pack the last honor he could.

The breeze kept blowing, cooling Humphrey's face. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. After a minute or two, he opened them again began gently nudging Kate's neck, trying to wake her up. It didn't take too much to make her stir and open her eyes. She looked around her, not moving her head from Humphrey's back.

"Looks like we fell asleep. Feeling better, sweetie?" Kate mumbled in his ear. She heard Humphrey give a small chuckle before saying:

"Yeah. A little better. But, we should already be at the training grounds... Sally might come looking for us... "

"Is it that late already? Okay then, let's go" Kate mumbled, her eyes half asleep. She turned her head to take it off Humphrey's shoulder but opened her eyes wide when she felt him connect his muzzle with hers for a morning kiss. After he broke the kiss, he said:

"I see you are awake now. Well then, let's go." She looked at him, a jokingly feeling inside her. However, he smiled the smile that melted her heart each and every time she saw it, his genuine, goofy grin that made her fall for him. The feeling grew inside her and together, walking side by side, leaning on each other, their tails brushing, they headed towards the training grounds.

They reached the training grounds about ten minutes later. Sally was already there, waiting for them. When they sat down in front of her, she said:

"You are late. When the sun rose, you should have already been here…"

Both Kate and Humphrey were about to protest but Sally said with a smile:

"But, compared to yesterday, you are improving your punctuality. Keep this up and by the end of the week, you should be on time. Now, what do you want to do first today? Swimming or running?" Humphrey looked at Kate and Kate looked at him, both of them already knowing the answer to that.

"Running" they both said turning to Sally and laughing.

"Very well. Of you go then. I'll be watching. Twenty laps…don't forget" Sally said as she sat down and looked towards the area they were supposed to run around. Humphrey and Kate left for the place they considered as the start line, which was a nice arcade made by two not very tall trees. They both stopped when they reached it.

"Ready?" Humphrey asked looking at her with a grin.

"You bet, though guy" she said grinning at him.

And they started running, the first few laps at full speed, the next of then in a normal running pace.

"You know, you look really sexy with the fur in the wind" Kate said to Humphrey as they ran side by side in their tenth lap. Humphrey was taken by surprise and blushed.

"Th…thanks. But we aren't really supposed to talk. We will tire fast" he said, his blush disappearing little by little.

"Wanna know a secret? I learned it in Alpha school" Kate asked with a grin.

"Sure" Humphrey said, turning his attention to where he was running, since he almost tripped over a root.

"Well, there is a breathing technique they teach us in alpha school. You breathe in every couple of paces and out the other couple of paces. But, make sure to make the breaths deep. And to eliminate air through your mouth, not your nose" Kate explained while Humphrey listened. He nodded and did what she told her. She nodded and said:

"You will last much longer when running and will tire much harder than a normal wolf, if you remember to do this kind of breathing. However, I am still unable to control my breathing for long periods of time…" Kate said, pouting a little. Humphrey frowned for a couple of seconds, before saying:

"Want me to help with that?" Kate looked at him confused.

"How could you help with such a thing? I know you want to do good, but how?"

"I have an idea…why don't you do it at the same time with me?" Humphrey said with a grin. Kate nodded and said:

"Okay, let's try…"

"Good. In…Out…In…Out…In…Out" Humphrey said and repeated for the next seven laps they had to complete. Each time he said it, he said it a little fainter, until he only mimicked it with his mouth. After Kate maintained the same breathing pace for the rest of the following seven laps, and as they were reaching the finish line of their twenty laps, Humphrey said:

"See? You did it."

"Not really. Only because you kept saying it for the last seven laps…" Kate mumbled, still pouting.

"I did not. I only said it about ten times. Then, I mouthed it" Humphrey said licking her face with care. She lifted her head in disbelief and said:

"But…but I heard you every time." Humphrey chuckled and said:

"Either way, I did not talk. And you did it." Kate nodded slowly and gave a big smile as Sally approached them.

"You two seem to be in high spirits today. And you don't seem to be very tired after running twenty laps. Ready to go to the river?" Sally asked with a serious look.

"Yep. We could use a bath" Humphrey said as they began walking towards the river. When they reached the river bank, Humphrey jumped right in and began paddling against the flow of the river. Kate followed him and swam by him. Humphrey said with a grin:

"Do you want to try the breathing trick again?"

"Yeah, sure" Kate said with a smile. Humphrey nodded and said:

"Okay. Every couple of paddles. In…out…in…out…in…out…" They kept at it, Humphrey shutting up after a couple of minutes. They paddled for the next hour, trying their best to not tire down too fast. The water was cold and that made their muscles stiff. And the effort to keep afloat was quickly becoming bigger, their fur getting wetter and wetter. Humphrey paddled a little closer to Kate and whispered in her ear:

"I maybe look better with the wind in my fur, but you look better soaking wet." Kate blushed bright red at the comment, a big grin on her face.

Half an hour later, they got out of the water and Sally approached them.

"How are you two feeling?" she asked, looking at the two wolves now sitting in the warm sun.

"A little tired…and really soaked in icy water" Humphrey said with a smile.

"Good. I will give both of you ten minutes to warm up and dry, before we move to the next exercise" Sally said with a grin.

Kate sighed in relief and sat by Humphrey as they looked at the sky and enjoyed a small break. Suddenly, Humphrey's smile turned to a frown and he said:

"Kate...where do you think Marcel and Paddy are?" Kate put her head on his shoulder and kept looking at the sky.

"I am sure they are fine. In fact, maybe they are searching for us right now." Humphrey nodded slowly and put his head of Kate's.

"Humphrey…can I ask you something?" Kate asked not moving her head from under his, but concern filling her voice.

"Anything, Kate. Anything" Humphrey said, waiting to see what she wanted to know.

"How was your life here before…you know…"Kate said, almost in a whisper.

"I can't really say it in one word. I had fun…I was sad…I was happy…depends on the day. I used to play with some of the other cubs…but, most of them just were afraid because I was the leader's son. So, my best friends back then were the leaders of the Omegas…Tom and Jenny. Their graves were the last I wrote on last night. Tom was a very funny and lovable wolf. All the cubs loved him. He used to play tricks on us and let us play tricks on him. I never saw him angry or depressed. As for Jenny…well…she resembled Lilly in a way. She was shy but fun, she kept to herself most of the times but sometimes, she would help Tom or us with the pranks…"

Kate waited for Humphrey to continue, but saw his eyes looking in the horizon.

"Is something wrong?" Kate asked, her senses now on alert.

"No…I just remembered that Tom was about to have his own cub a couple of weeks after my pack was attacked…He wanted to name him something that I don't remember, but I liked the name" Humphrey said, a tear falling from his eye.

"Him?" Kate asked rather confused.

"Yes…Britney, the pack healer, could sometimes say what will the cub be…and I overheard her saying that it would have been a boy. That's when I heard the name, but I don't remember it…maybe I will someday…" Humphrey said, another tear falling from his eye. Kate licked his neck slowly a couple of times, before drying his tears with her paw.

"I am sorry I asked…I didn't want you to feel bad…" Kate said in his ear.

"Don't be…I like to remember about my old pack…makes me fell a connection to them…makes me understand the importance of who I am and what I am…makes me understand who I want to protect and what I want to achieve…makes me feel like a Sentinel…" Humphrey said in a calm voice, some happiness mixed with sadness palpable in his words. His words made Kate think. What is she loosed her pack and became pack-less, like Humphrey was at that time? What if she lost her parents and everything she loved? What is she lost Humphrey?

Only after these thoughts passed through her head, she understood what Humphrey meant. Connections to the past give you purpose, they make you realize who you are and what to do next. They make you understand who you want to protect and what you want to achieve. Even though the past is history, it teaches you so much. 'Maybe Humphrey is way smarter that I think he is…or maybe that was just a thing he said at the right moment' Kate thought as she lifted her head from Humphrey's shoulder. Humphrey turned to look at her, a questioning look on his face:

"I understand" Kate answered his look. "I really understand what all of this means to you. The past…your past…was always inside you…made you who you are today, even if you didn't remember it…Now, I really understand, and I am more driven than ever to help you."

Humphrey's expression changed from surprise to caring and he put a paw around her back, bringing her to his chest.

"I never doubted you, Kate. Thank you…"Humphrey said closing his eyes for s couple of moments, savoring the hug and the feelings that it passed between them. Their bond became stronger and their determination bigger.

Humphrey broke the hug and turned around to see Sally coming towards them. He no longer felt tired and, in fact, he felt refreshed. Kate too got up and looked at Sally approaching them. Sally's eyes stopped on her and wanted to say something, but she decided against it.

"Is something wrong, Sally?" Humphrey asked looking at Sally and then following her gaze towards Kate.

"No, nothing wrong…let's continue with your training for today. Come with me" Sally said, turning her back to them and walking towards the running track where they trained before. Humphrey and Kate followed him, but stayed a little behind so that they could talk without being heard.

"What was all the about?" Humphrey asked Kate with a smile.

"I…don't know. Did I do something?" Kate asked confused. Humphrey shrugged and they kept walking, wondering what training they were going to do now. They soon caught up with Sally at the training grounds.

"Humphrey, take Kate and fetch that fallen log over there" Sally said pointing somewhere near the edge of the clearing. Humphrey and Kate went after the log and brought it to Sally. Sally nodded and said:

"Now Humphrey lay on your stomach, but in a pounce position." Humphrey was a little confused by this request but did. Sally nodded and turned to Kate:

"Help me with the log, will you? We are going to put the log on Humphrey's back."

"But it is kind of heavy…" Kate said looking at Humphrey, who was looking with a little panic towards the log.

"We won't let it fall on him. Humphrey, you will do push-ups. Start with ten. We are going to hold the log to make it seem a little lighter. However, we will let you push it. We will be here only to make sure it doesn't squash you like a bug. After that, Kate will take your place and you will take hers" Sally explained to both of them. Humphrey gulped and nodded, some sweat already visible on his muzzle. Sally grabbed one end of the log and Kate the other, and together they put the log on Humphrey's back. When Humphrey saw that the two of them stopped moving, he pushed with all he had upwards. Inch by inch, the log began lifting, until Humphrey was back on his legs. Then, he slowly dropped himself back in the starting position. In the meantime, Sally summoned her copy and put the copy to look at Humphrey and count his push-ups.

When Humphrey tried to push for his second time, he couldn't do more than half a push-up, before he had to go back in the pounce position.

The copy of Sally said:

"That is all you can do?"

"This log is kind of heavy" Humphrey panted as he stood there, in the pounce position, preparing to try again.

"That log is heavy? That log is heavy?! The Wretches have double the size and weight of this log. And they won't jump you one by one if they have the chance. Once one of them will jump on your back, what will you do? That will be your end" the copy of Sally said with fierce eyes. Humphrey greeted his teeth and strained every piece of muscle he could and he managed to do another complete one. While he was going back down, preparing for a third one, the ghost of Sally said:

"You managed to take one of…But two of them ambushed Kate...and they are going to kill her." Humphrey's face turned from a face meant for exercise to one meant for killing. He barred his teeth and pushed again, doing a third push-up. Then he pushed again, doing the forth. Then the fifth. He didn't stop, until he reached the eight one. The copy of Sally said:

"You have two more. Do them without stopping."

"I can't. This log is too heavy…" Humphrey said, on the brink of exhaustion.

"Is the log heavier than the amount of graves that you visited last night? Is the log heavier than the memory of your parents and pack that are now gone?" The copy of Sally said without any piece of remorse for the words that cut right through Humphrey's heart. She could see tears beginning to fall from his eyes, but his face still one for killing…only it was not for killing anymore…not normal killing anyway. It was a calm face that, except the tears falling from his eyes, betrayed no emotions…the same stare she saw on his father's face when he faced the twenty Wretches alone. 'Maybe I went a little too far…' she thought as Humphrey did the last two push-ups without stopping. When he was done, Kate and Sally took the log off from his back and Kate looked at Humphrey in shock. His face betrayed no emotions, as if someone stole them from his heart.

Sally looked at Humphrey too. She looked him straight in the eyes. The intensity of his stare made her feel fear. Something happened to Humphrey and she didn't know what. So she did the only thing she knew that could break a trance or a state of complete ager someone had and that would take them completely by surprise. She slapped him hard across the face, careful to not leave any marks with her claws. Kate was now on the brink of tears and anger at what Sally had done. She was about to attack her, when she saw Humphrey's face relax and tears beginning to fall from his eyes.

Sally looked at him too and then said, seeing he avoided her face:

"Humphrey, look at me." Humphrey raised his head and looked with teary eyes straight at her. "I am sorry for what I said…I, who never suffered such a loss, didn't understand what this meant to you…and the remarks I made were harsh, even from me…I am sorry if I hurt your feelings and if I made you question my allegiance. I will help you become a Sentinel, but that will take dedication and a will of iron…I will not let you fail, even if that changes you…and Kate…" Sally turned to Kate as she spoke:

"Next time you see me tell things like these, slap me hard…I have my moments when I…well…say what shouldn't be said…You two will have the rest of the day off. I took the liberty to go hunting earlier when you two were running. The kill is waiting in front of the den you slept in last night…I'll see you tomorrow at dawn…" And without another word, Sally turned and left. After she was well out of earshot, Kate came closer to Humphrey and said in a little scared tone:

"Are you okay?" He shook his head and said:

"Come with me. I want to share something with you. But not here. I remember a place close by that I used to go to with my dad…"

He got up and started walking towards the training grounds. On the other side of the training grounds, somewhere close to them was a big wall of rock. Humphrey took Kate through a small passage that he remembered going through when he was younger. He then stopped in the middle of a cave which had no ceiling. The grass inside the cave was not a normal green. It was a dark green, the kind of green grass has in moonlight, only it was day now. Humphrey sat down and looked through the opening at the sky. Kate sat down beside him, but kept silent. She didn't want to push him to say what he wanted to.

"Kate…you asked me if I am fine…the truth is…I am not…" Humphrey said, looking in the ground.

"What do you mean? Tell me what hurts you" Kate said in a calm and caring voice.

"I…I…don't know how to express it…but what Sally said today made me very angry…so angry, that I wanted to…to do something that I would never do to any friend. Kate, I wanted to kill Sally…" Humphrey managed to say before tears began falling from his eyes again, making him look at the sky again. Kate dried his tears and he continued to speak:

"I wanted to kill her because her words hurt me…very much…they were all truth…if the situation happened right now and we were to be attacked, I will already be dead, and so would you, but that is beyond the point, because this is a truth I accept…the truth I don't accept is what she said after…about my pack…and the problem is I know why they hurt…and that is because it was my fault my pack was killed…"

Kate's breathing stopped for a second, before Humphrey could continue:

"The month before the attack, I made a mistake by trusting a wolf I have never met before…and that lead to me helping him by making my father accept him in our pack, even though he was a stranger. He learned all our customs and the hours the guards changed. He was a spy from the Wretches…a young pup like I was at the time…and he reported to his father, the leader of Wretches at that time…and they ambushed my pack…and all because I helped an unknown wolf that wasn't even injured, but faked it…"

Humphrey lifted his eyes to look at a shocked Kate and said:

"You probably hate me right now…I can understand if you do… I'd hate myself for this…I can understand if you want to leave…"

What happened next, made Humphrey eat his words. Kate slapped him across the face, minding her claws.

"I suppose I deserved that for what I did to my pack…after all…" Humphrey said before Kate interrupted him:

"Humphrey, shut it and listen! I. DO. NOT. HATE. YOU! Get it through your thick head" Kate said in tears. She dried them off and then continued:

"I could never hate you. I love you and you are my mate. And you are not at fault for what you did. You helped a pup, even though he was not injured. I do not believe for a single second that you are to blame for what happened…I will never leave you. Never…" Kate said kissing the place she just hit.

"You love me? Even though I am at fault for what happened?" Humphrey asked confused.

"I love you, yes. But, understand this…you are not at fault for what you did…remember the Sentinels Code? It said to help anyone in need. That is what you did. You followed the Sentinel's Code. It was not your fault" Kate said putting a paw around him and hugging him. Humphrey began crying again on her shoulder. After a couple of minutes, he said:

"Thank you, Kate. You are the only one that can keep me sane in this mess of life I live at the moment. You understand me better than I understand myself…and I thank you for that. I just wish I could do something about the situation…"

"You can. You can train. You can stop this. All of it. You have to have a will of iron. Can you do it, if not for your old pack, or for my pack, or for you…can you do it for me? Can you end all of this mess we both live so that we can return to the days when it was just about the two of us?" Kate said in a hopeful voice.

"I can and I will. For you" Humphrey said with a caring smile and hugging her.

"Thanks. Now, how about that meal Sally talked about?" Kate asked.

"Sounds good" Humphrey grinned.

**-several hours later, at night, in the main den-**

Two wolves were sleeping together, keeping each other safe and warm. One was dark blue and grey, the other was golden like the sun. Her time was the day, and his time was the night. They formed the perfect cycle, the cycle that may someday change the world that they live in.

**Aaaaaand….scene. Here ends chapter eight of this story. It took some time but it is done. I hope you enjoyed it and leave a review to tell me what you think. Also, I just returned from watching the last Hobbit movie and I highly suggest the whole series to anyone interested. It was awesome :D**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys and girls. Welcome back to another chapter of this story. I wish to give a shout-out to one of the persons who reviewed my story so far. JokerBoss12, I want to thank you for each and every review you left me. All of them had something interesting to say and made me appreciate my readers even more than I do now. Thank you very much for this, and as I keep the chapters coming, you keep those reviews of your coming :D**

**I also have found some images on google as to how the Sentinel grounds look like. For the main grounds, search this exact phrase "inspirational fantasy forest" and it should be the 15th image.**

**For the path they walked on to get to the Sentinel's grounds and on which Humphrey found his father's grave, search this exact phrase "inspirational fantasy forest" and it should be the second image.**

**I would have posted links, but for some reasons, they don't save properly, even if I use spaces...**

**Anyway, let's continue. Enjoy :D**

**Chapter 9 – Decisions**

The morning soon came over Jasper Park. In the most southern part of the park, a solitary wolf was running through the forest. He was bloodied, but the blood wasn't his. The blood had a dark color, darker than normal blood.

Hutch kept running as fast as he could. He had an important message to deliver to Winston about the Wretches and the Southern pack. In the few days that passed since the demand for help from the Southern pack, the Wretches led several night time raids on the Southern pack. They were holding their positions but just barely. That is, until last night, when the raid struck. They have been overrun, and the Southern pack ran to the underground hideout. That hideout led straight to the waterfall in the Western's pack feeding grounds. The packs were about to merge again and the South would join the West.

Hutch ran as fast as he could. He had been ambushed twice by now and managed to kill both ambush squads, without getting himself killed. He knew someone out there was taking care of him. But who or what, he didn't know. And his run was bound to end soon, so he had to hurry. He just reached the border of the Western territory and howled to alert the patrols. In an instant after his howl, six wolves surrounded him and he quickly said:

"The south has fallen. I need to get to Winston. Wretches might be following me. Get six more wolves and double the patrols in this area. Two of you, come with me."

All the wolves nodded and four of them went to get other wolves, while the two followed him, running at top speed to reach the main den. They reached it in record time and Hutch stopped right as he went inside. He saw a Dark wolf there, talking with Winston. He couched a little to get their attention and Winston looked to see Hutch there, all bloodied and tired. He turned to the black wolf with a stern face and said:

'Excuse me for a moment." Then he called as loud as he could outside:

"Barbara! Main den! Now!"

Then, he turned to Hutch and asked:

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I am fine. Just minor scratches. The south has fallen sir." Winston face grew dark in an instant. He turned to the black wolf and said:

"I think you may want to hear this." The black wolf nodded and came closer to them. He sat down and Hutch measured him from head to tail. He was as big as Winston, and almost as old. He had thick black fur and an ugly scar on his left eye. Both his eyes where dark brown and very serious now.

"Hutch, this is my brother, Walter. He is the leader of the Northern pack. He heard of our situation over here and came to see how he can help. Walter, this is Hutch, my best Alpha. He had been with a team of about ten Alphas in the south to help the Southern pack against the Wretches." Walter nodded and Winston turned to Hutch and said:

"Now, tell me what happened."

"Yes sir. The past days since my team was dispatched to the south, several night raids by the Wretches were made. We managed to hold out ground, but almost half of the Alphas in the Southern pack were killed. Last night, the raid was very fierce. The Southern pack was forced in the underground tunnels that lead to the waterfall. They should be arriving soon. Their leader, Danny, said he wanted to merge his dying pack with ours. He wants to leave you at command. On my way here to relay the message, I was ambushed by the Wretches. Twice. But I somehow managed to escape and kill all of the attackers. When I reached the border of our territory, I sounded the alarm and six wolves joined me. I took two with me here and sent the other four to get six more and double the patrol on the southern border."

"I feared this may happen. Where is your team?" Winston asked.

"They are with the Southern pack. I left them there for protection. Sir…we lost Damian in the raid last night…" Hutch continued in a sad voice, his ears flat on his head. Winston nodded sadly and just then, Barbara came in. She saw Hutch like he was and asked:

"What happened here?"

"It's nothing. Not his blood. However, go to Damien's family. Tell them he took one for the team last night…" Winston said in a sad voice. Barbara remained rooted in shock for a second, before she nodded. She turned around to leave but Winston said:

"If you see Eve, send her here. I need to have a talk with her." Barbara nodded and left.

"What shall we do, sir?"

"Yes bro, what will you do? I will lend you my pack. They will be here by the day after tomorrow" Walter said serious. Winston nodded and said:

"We have no choice…Hutch, go and take another ten Alphas with you. Guard the tunnels. They have the width for one wolf at the time. When Danny and his wolves come, send them here. I will wait for them. And send the other eight wolves of your team to get some rest. They've earned it. Also, let the pack know that tomorrow will be a honorary howl for Damien. At midnight." Then he turned to Walter:

"Walter, thank you so much for your help. With you, I think we might just be able to hold them off for now. I can see clearly now that we have no other chance. We shall make our stand here. Hutch, dismissed."

Hutch nodded and left at sprinting speed.

"Now, tell me brother. Do you really know of the last Sentinel?" Walter asked.

"Yes…he is one of my Omegas…the mate of my daughter…and he is off for training now…we have to hold our ground until he comes back" Winston said in a calm voice.

"Very well then. Until he returns, no one should know about him. I will let my pack know that they are all needed here. See you soon, my brother, and may the winds of the mountain watch over you" Walter said, getting up.

"May the sun shine bright on your path" Winston said as he got up too. Walter gave a short nod and left at neck-breaking speed towards north.

**-meanwhile, on the Sentinel grounds-**

"Come on Kate. Only a couple to go" Humphrey said between his teeth as he was holding the log. They have been training already for a couple of hours. They managed to finish the running in record time and took their time swimming, remembering to maintain a constant breathing. They were now doing twenty push-ups each. Humphrey already finished his and was now helping Kate with hers.

After Kate did the final push, Humphrey took away the log. Kate stretched her back a couple of times and then turned to Sally, who was waiting. Sally smiled and said:

"You did well today. And the day is still early…Humphrey…do you know how to hunt?"

"Yes. Kate showed me how to and I actually managed to make a kill, but with assistance" Humphrey said with a grin and a loving stare to Kate, who blushed a little.

"Interesting. Mind proving your hunting abilities today in a solo hunt?" Sally asked.

"Not at all. Let's go" Humphrey said excited that he had another chance to hunt. Sally nodded and Kate and Humphrey followed her. Kate leaned in to Humphrey's ear and said in a whisper:

"Are you sure about this?" Humphrey nodded with excitement.

"Okay…If you need any help, do not hesitate to tell me or let me know, okay?" Kate said with a smile. Humphrey nodded and they stopped right before hitting Sally, who has stopped in front of them. She pointed to a dear and a young buck who were grazing on the field in front of them. The grass was high and the wind was blowing against Humphrey's face, so that his smell could not be detected. Humphrey nodded slowly and got in his low hunting position. He began his slow walk, stalking his prey. He chose to attack the deer, since it was closer. He stopped every few feet to make sure he remained undetected. When he was close enough, he waited some more seconds to be sure and then pounced on the deer, biting hard on her neck. He felt his jump filled with more power than before and the wind in his fur seemed to go by him faster. He felt his mouth fill with blood and felt the buck running away scared. Humphrey moved his weight on the deer's back and the deer fell under him, dead. After he felt the deer stopped moving, he opened his mouth and called:

"Lunch's ready!"

Both Kate and Sally jumped from where they were hiding and came running to him.

"Nice one, Humphrey" Kate said giving him a hug. He smiled proudly, while Sally examined the deer.

"Good job. The bite is clean and perfect. Maybe your instincts start to recover. How did the hunt feel now, as opposed to before?" Sally asked with a smile.

"I felt more power in my pounce and more speed in my movement" Humphrey said.

"Very well. Tomorrow, we will start the mental training after you are done with the physical training in the morning. We will also double on the physical training. That means forty laps, two hours of swimming and forty push-ups" Sally said with a smile.

"Don't you think that is a little much from what we were doing today?" Kate asked with an uncertain look.

"This is Sentinel training, not Alpha school. I said it will be tougher…plus Humphrey had enough energy for a solo hunting after what we did today…I think he can handle it" Sally said looking at him.

"Anything to become a Sentinel and end the business with the Wretches" Humphrey said with a serious look in his eyes. Sally nodded and looked at the sky. It was early evening.

"Okay, both of you. Back to training after you finish your meal. I am not hungry. Repeat what you did until now. I will wait by the log" Sally said walking away. Humphrey and Kate ate their fill and then sat on the grass, by the kill, one against the other. Humphrey nudged Kate and said:

"How long do you think it will be until we will be done with the training?"

"At this pace…maybe in a week…maybe ten days…I tell you, this is triple the work of the Alpha School. If we did this at Alpha school, we will be already finished" Kate said pushing her head in his chest lovingly. He chuckled and said:

"I wonder what will Barf say when he sees me. Or what will say Eve…" Kate laughed at the thoughts and Humphrey joined her.

After the food settled, they walked together, leaning on one another, their fur brushing and them enjoying every moment of it, towards the running grounds. Humphrey intertwined his tail with Kate's and she looked at his with a happy girlish face, while he grinned like a fool. They were slowly approaching the running grounds. A wolf was keeping an eye of them.

Sally smiled at the sight of the two happy wolves, keeping a keen eye on them.

"They are really happy. It reminds me of the times when me and Senna were young…" a ghostly voice said behind her. Sally turned with a smile and said:

"Oh Arthy, it is your son after all. And after what happened, seeing him smile proves just how powerful he is. Maybe you should go talk to him…"

The ghostly appearance of Arthy smirked and said:

"All in time, Sally…all in time. For now, me, Senna and the council prefer to observe him and his mate."

"As you see fit. It was good talking to you again after all these years. Do you think he will make it?" Sally asked the now shivering form of Arthy.

"He will be a good Sentinel, better than anyone before him. I can see it in his determination and in every action. It was good talking to you too after all this time. We will talk again someday, Sally. And say thank you to Humphrey for me for what he did with the graves of the pack. All of them are honored" the voice of Arthy said as his form disappeared.

"I will" she said to now empty space beside her, before turning back to the running couple who were enjoying every moment they had together.

After the sun set and Kate and Humphrey finished their second round of training, they returned to the main den. They went inside and lied down to get ready to sleep. Kate made from her body a circle and Humphrey lied his body around her, forming a circle too. Their heads were one beside the other and their tails were intertwined.

"Sleep tight and see you tomorrow" Kate said with a smile.

"Can't wait" Humphrey said before kissing her head and putting a paw over her to keep her safe. He closed his eyes and sighed in content as another day passed, and with that another step was made on the path of becoming a Sentinel, a mate, a father maybe and to changing the world around him. Another step in the cycle of his life…

**And…scene. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**For those of you wondering why Arthy appeared beside Sally in this chapter, I ask of you to remember that Sally is a witch wolf. Besides other powers, she can talk to dead wolves and see their spirits if they linger in this world. IT is not the first time Arthy visited her to talk about Humphrey.**

**Leave me a review to tell me what you think and…**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys and girls. Merry Christmas everyone! :D I hope Santa brought each and every one of you what you wished for (I know some of you wished for a new chapter of this story, so as Santa's emissary, here it is :D) If any of you feels like it, tell me in a PM what you received :D I wanna share the joy and happiness of this season with you guys and girls.**

**So, enjoy this with a big plate of cookies and a big cup of hot chocolate :D**

**Chapter 10 – Unity**

Hutch was running with all the speed he could find back to the main den to report that each and every one of the Southern pack wolves that was still alive, as well as the remaining eight Western wolves that helped him, have returned safe and sound and that, for the moment, no Wretch was following them. He reached Winston's den early in the morning and went inside. Winston was already awake and talking with Danny about what was going to happen with his pack.

"Winston, thank you so much for the support. We would have been goners if not for your wolves. We are in your debt" Danny said with a weak smile.

"No need of debt. We are allies and we must help each other" Winston said with a kind and comforting smile.

"I see. Very well then. I wish to merge our packs and to leave the responsibility of leadership to you" Danny said serious.

"You want to step down?" Winston asked confused, hoping he understood everything wrong.

"Yes. I will become an Alpha in the army that will be under your command and that will destroy the Wretches" Danny said still serious.

"Are you sure, Danny? If you want, after all this blows over, I will give you leadership back" Winston said surprised and unsure of how to proceed for now.

"I am. The wolves of Jasper park have all been separated by laws and territories imposed by their leaders at that time, when the Sentinels fell, I being one of them. But I now see that we can remain separated no longer. I wish to give you command over my pack and merge not only the packs, but territories. Our territory now belongs to all of this united pack" Danny said.

"If this is what you want and what your pack wants, then so be it. But you won't be a regular Alpha in this pack. You will fill my inner circle" Winston said as he turned to look at the entrance where he saw Hutch standing.

"Perfect timing as usual, Hutch. Come inside, I need to talk to you and Danny at the same time" Winston added.

Hutch walked over to Winston and Danny and sat down confused.

"Okay. Danny, this as you know, is Hutch. He is my second in command. He, until now, shared this position with Tony, Garth, Eve and Kate. But no longer. Danny, you will join their circle. After I am done talking to both of you, Hutch will explain everything, from the laws to the customs and patrol routes around here. Now, Hutch, I suppose you bring news" Winston said, turning to him.

"Yes sir. All the wolves that were supposed to return from the Southern territory have returned. I sent my team to get some rest. Danny, your pack is waiting outside" Hutch said, finishing his report.

"Good. We will all three speak to them in a couple of moments, but before that, I have something to share with you two. Something only a pawful of wolves know. Danny, the Sentinels aren't all gone. In fact, there is one Sentinel alive. Hutch, the Sentinel I am speaking of is no other than Humphrey. Now, he is gone with my daughter to train as a Sentinel."

"What?! Humphrey is a Sentinel?" Hutch said with genuine shock on his face.

"Shhhhh. Keep it down. This must remain secret. The Wretches don't know of him, as far as I know. And I don't want gossip spreading randomly until he returns. This applies to you too, Danny" Winston said serious.

"Who else knows about this?" Hutch asked.

"Eve, Lilly, Garth, Tony, my brother Walter and now, you. That is, besides Kate and Humphrey himself. Also, one more wolf knows. I do not know her name but she is the one training Humphrey, so I think she can be trusted" Winston answered. Hutch nodded and Danny sighed in relief.

"Then we still have a chance…" he mumbled. Both Hutch and Winston heard him but acted as if they didn't.

"Now, let's go speak with your pack" Winston said.

"You mean the new members of your pack" Danny said with a friendly smile. Winston nodded and walked outside. He sat down on the edge of the rock his den was on and looked at the wolves standing there and chatting. He cleared his throat and the chatter quickly died out. On Winston's left stood Danny and on his right stood Hutch.

Winston let out a howl that signified an important meeting for all the members of the pack. He waited two more minutes until all of the wolves were there, both Alphas and Omegas that were part of the Western, Eastern and Southern pack. Winston looked over all the wolves that were around him. There were now over one hundred and fifty Alphas and about the same number of Omegas. He nodded one time and then said:

"Brothers and sisters wolves, I have an important message to convey to all of you. Yesterday, the Southern pack has retreated from their territory because of the Wretches. They are our allies and are now standing between all of you. Their leader, Danny, wishes to merge our packs and territories together. I have agreed to this decision. Starting this moment, all of the wolves that are here will be part of this pack, no matter who they were before. Hutch here will help each and every one of you find a place to make a den on the territory and will explain the rules and, for the ones capable to fight and defend their homes, the strategies and patrol routes. Also, Danny suggested another thing that I reluctantly agreed to. He wants to step down as the leader of the former Southern pack and let all of you under my guidance. I will not disappoint you. And to Danny, I officially give the same rank as Hutch, my daughter, Kate and Garth have. Also, starting tomorrow, every Omega that is capable, will be given combat training from Hutch and Garth on the feeding grounds, right after the morning hunt. This will maybe come in handy when the Wretches will attack. I know you now begin to panic, but all of you must understand. The question of their attack is no longer if but when they will do it. That is all for now. Hutch will now begin the explanations. Hutch, if you please…"

"Thank you, sir. Let's begin with…"

**-on the training grounds of the Sentinels-**

"One more Humphrey and then we are done" Kate said as she and Sally held the log. Humphrey did the last of the forty push-ups and, after Kate and Sally took the log off of him, he fell to the ground panting in exhaustion.

"I…did not…expect this…to be…so…difficult" Humphrey said between pants. His tongue had lolled out of his mouth on the side.

"You're telling me. I almost passed out at the fortieth one" Kate said with a smile. Sally laughed and said:

"Well, you only have three more days until you should finish your training, so both of you must give all you have for it." Kate turned confused to Sally.

"I thought we had more than this. We will never be able to do it."

"You will and you must. I had a vision last night while you two were sleeping. The Southern pack has merged with the Western and Eastern pack and the Northern pack will join them too tomorrow. The Wretches will attack soon. We need to move faster and with more force" Sally said sternly.

"That is not good news…" Humphrey said.

"It is not. Let's go to my den. There, we will begin training your mind" Sally said, getting up and starting walking. Humphrey got up and followed her. Kate followed Humphrey, worry on her face. She started walking by Humphrey, leaning on his body. He looked at her full of care, but seeing the worry on her face, he asked in a whisper:

"Kate, are you okay? You don't look too good…"

"I am fine Humphrey. Only worried. We only have three more days to finish our training. It looks as if, day by day, time halves instead of going as it should. Humphrey…I am the one that is scared now…" Kate said in a whisper. Humphrey smiled and said, still whispering:

"We will be ready. Remember? We are together in this and we will help each other out. We can't give up now. We are so close to finishing our training. I have to do the mental training and then, all we have to do is keep up with this morning routine and add to it jumping through trees. How hard can it be?"

Kate giggled and said in a whisper:

"A wolf climbing a tree? Sounds like fun. And you are right. For a second there, I let fear take over me. But that is over now. We are in this together. And we will make it out somehow."

"That's the Kate I know" Humphrey said in a caring voice, giving her cheek a lick. They kept walking. They went past Arthy's grave and Kate said out of the blue, but still in a whisper:

"Thanks Humphrey. You have your way with words. I am so lucky to have you."

"I am your mate, Kate. I love you and I will always be there for you. That is what mates are for, isn't it?" Humphrey asked her, brushing his head along her head. She gave a sly smile and said in a coy tone in Humphrey's ear:

"I am glad you brought the mates part up. Because someone will get some tail for all the hard work he did and the obstacles he defeated until now." Humphrey's face grew bright red and he gave an involuntary big smile. He wished his blush would disappear before they reached Sally's den, or he will have some explaining to do.

Luckily for him, his fur hid his blush quite well and after a couple of minutes, he returned to his normal color. And just in time, because they just reached Sally's den.

"Go inside. I'll be right back. I need to get a couple of things before we start. It will be quite an…experience" she said with a chuckle in her voice. Humphrey looked at Kate, but didn't smile, because he learnt already that Sally's humor wasn't the good kind. Sally left to get what she needed and Humphrey and Kate went inside. The den was exactly as they remembered it. Low, large and round, with a small fire in the center, a fire they knew they could touch but were still reserved on doing so. Humphrey sat beside the fire, opposed to the entrance on the den and Kate sat beside him, to his right. They waited for Sally to return, and when she did, Humphrey asked:

"So, Sally, what are we really going to do?"

"Well, I have here a paw full of silver-pine needles. I will put them in the fire to sterilize them and then I will do something the humans call acupuncture on some spots on your body. This is meant to relax you. Then, you will sleep. I will go into your dreams and give you several obstacles that you have to overcome. What you have to do to overcome them, depends on you. But remember, an obstacle is overcame just when you can wake up. Also, I will tell you how to beat them. The only point is to realize if it all happens in your head or if it is real. I will not let you wake up until you defeat an obstacle" Sally said serious.

"That sounds…quite interesting, and possibly dangerous" Kate commented.

"Nothing to worry about, Kate. I am sure Humphrey will deal with it very well" Sally said, trying to calm her down. Kate still looked frightened, but Humphrey grabbed her paw and whispered something in her ear. She calmed instantly and a small blush appeared on her cheeks. Sally was about to ask what he said, but decided against it, them being young and in love.

"Humphrey, please lie down on your back right here" Sally said as she pointed to the space beside the fire. She threw the needles in the fire and then took them out a couple of seconds later. Humphrey lay down and waited. She saw Sally throwing several herbs on the fire, colorful fumes coming out. She began mumbling something that he couldn't understand and the fumes began a fast rotation in the air. Then the fumes moved around and lay over his body, rotating slowly, as he felt his body slowly leaving the surface of the ground.

"Don't move, Humphrey, or we will have to start over" Sally said, her eyes closed in concentration. Humphrey saw Kate look astonished at him floating in the air, colored smoke revolving around him.

"You will feel a slight discomfort as I put the needles in, but then you should feel relaxed. I will begin now" Sally said as she grabbed a needle and pushed it in Humphrey's paw. He almost screamed but, then felt his paw relax. Sally continued to push needles in his legs, his pawn, his shoulders, a couple in his stomach, several across his cheeks, a few in his tail, a couple on his back and, finally one in the middle of his forehead. The instant that needle was inside, Sally said:

"Close your eyes. Soon you will drift to sleep. But don't open them, because we will have to start over." Then she began chanting in a guttural voice in a language only she knew.

Starting from Humphrey's forehead, the smoke began turning a golden color. The color slowly picked up speed, as it colored more and more of the smoke. It also began emitting a pale light as it turned golden. Kate watched astonished at what she was seeing.

"Kate, look at me" Sally said, her eyes closed. Kate turned to her and Sally continued:

"If you see this smoke turning any other color then the golden it has now, slap me hard across the face so that I can wake up from trance. Keep a close eye on him. Understood?"

"Y…Yes" Kate said, finding her voice with difficulty.

"Good. Let us begin then" Sally said as she took a deep breath and put a needle in her own forehead. A thread of the smoke broke from above Humphrey's head and connected to the needle in Sally's forehead. Then both of them began taking deep, slow and regular breaths. Kate sat down, not realizing when she got up and kept a close eye on the smoke and on her friends.

**-in Humphrey's mind-**

He opened his eyes to see himself in a white place, completely blank. Then he heard a voice:

"Humphrey. I will block the memory that says this all is not real. Then I will give you a test. I will unblock the memory when you wake up. Understood?"

"Yes" he said serious and a little confused as to what was going on.

"Let's begin then" Sally's voice said and everything turned black and Humphrey felt himself fainting.

He woke up in the forest, with Kate behind him. It looked like a great day was coming. He nudged Kate, who opened her eyes and gave a quick lick on his face with a small smile. However, that smile was fast to disappear as she looked outside the den they were in. Humphrey turned to see several big black wolves snarling at them. He panicked for a second, but then remembered who he was and what he was capable of. He said:

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"Are you the Sentinel?" one of the black wolves said mockingly.

"I might be" Humphrey answered, his fangs beginning to show.

"That makes things far easier" another one of them said as they advanced on him. Suddenly, one of them was behind Kate and the others were pinning Humphrey down. Then it clicked in Humphrey's head. No wolf, however powerful he was, could not teleport five meters in the blink of an eye. He began laughing and the black wolves looked at him confused:

"Has he…gone mad?" one of them asked.

"No, I didn't. Only that not a piece of what is happening here is real. You can't just teleport from here to there, no matter who you are" Humphrey said with a grin. Everything turned black in an instant and then he opened his eyes. He was back in the cave, the smoke still golden. He felt sweat on his forehead, but didn't move. Sally too opened her eyes and said:

"That was quick. I see that you found your own way to see if it was a dream or not. But, you were right. This kind of attack isn't perfect. There are small things that give it away. Like the sudden appearance of the wolves or the fact that you were in a den after a second before you were in the forest."

"Was that also a clue? I just thought my eyesight was crazy for a second, just waking up and things" Humphrey said confused.

"Yes…now, let's continue. Starting with the next one, the clues will be more and more insignificant and harder to spot" Sally said. Humphrey nodded and then, they went back in the dream world.

**-another three dreams later-**

Humphrey just managed to break the fourth dream in under a minute, even though the clue was that a leaf was falling against the wind. Sally, on the other hand, was panting hard.

"Your mind is indeed strong. Even with the needles, I can barely go inside. And you have a good attention to details around you. That will come in handy soon. Well, considering that you managed to break four dreams in less than an hour…and that most Sentinels I did this for and that were fierce mind fighters took more than an hour per dream, even though the clues were obvious, I can certainly say that you do not need this kind of training. You already mastered it by being you. How did you develop attention to details?" Sally asked. Humphrey moved, breaking the smoke and falling to the ground. He scratched the back of his head and said:

"I went log sledging for three years every day and I had to know in an instant what turn to make just based on the wind or a small bump in the earth…I guess it became instinctive."

"Log sledging?" Sally asked, looking at Kate. Kate smiled and said:

"It's really fun. With half a log you go down a slope and try not to crash."

"Who would do such a dangerous thing, beside an Omega?" Sally asked even more confused.

"Well, I am an Omega in Winston's pack" Humphrey said.

"And I am an Alpha and enjoy it very much" Kate said raising an eyebrow.

"You two…are one of a kind…a very…high maintenance couple I think they are called" Sally said.

"Indeed they are, my sweet lady" a voice said from outside. Sally turned in an instant, her teeth bared. Humphrey recognized the voice and said:

"Sally, calm down. They are my friends." Sally calmed down and Humphrey called:

"Come inside guys, I missed you." A second later, inside came Marcel and Paddy with big smile on their faces. They hugged Humphrey and Kate and Marcel kissed Sally's paw. Sally blushed involuntary and Humphrey said:

"Sally, these are Marcel and Paddy. They accompanied us in the clearing where you gave us the warning. Marcel, Paddy, she is Sally, a wolf witch, so don't get surprised if crazy things happen around here."

"No worries. So, we searched for you for quite some time. Want to fill us in, Humphrey?" Paddy asked in his usual happy voice.

"Well, we found the Sentinel's grounds. We found the graves of my entire pack. I almost had a mental breakdown. Twice. And we have three more days to finish training. But how about you guys?" Humphrey said in a happy tone mixed with a little sadness when it came to his pack.

"I am sorry to hear this, Humphrey. Stay strong, my friend. That morning, a patrol of black wolves arrived in the clearing a couple of minutes after you ran away. They lost your track at a river. From there, we searched for you for quite some time…" Marcel said.

"Right. Guys, can I ask something from you?" Humphrey said with a forced smile.

"Anything" Paddy said.

"Can you fly back to the pack and tell them we are going to be there in three days? Also, warn them that the Wretches will begin an assault at that time. But tell this only to Winston or Eve. Not anyone else."

"You can count on us. We will be leaving now" Marcel said with a grin. He gave them another hug and they flew away.

"You are friends with a Canadian goose?" Sally asked.

"French" they heard from outside as the flapping sound began disappearing.

"We are. They helped us get home when we were transported to Idaho by humans" Kate said.

"Your life is very interesting. It will a great story" Sally said with a grin. "But you two will have to excuse me for now. I am really tired. Even with all my powers, Humphrey is too strong for me and I am exhausted. I will see all of you tomorrow morning for the physical training. Also, tomorrow, you will be climbing trees. That should be fun to watch."

"Well, see you later then" Kate said as she went outside.

"Yeah. Sorry if your head hurts" Humphrey said with a small smile.

"How did you…you know what? Don't tell me. Just go" Sally said shaking her head a little. She took a bite from a couple of herbs as Humphrey left the den.

When Humphrey got outside, Kate was there, smiling.

"So, where should we go now?" Kate said coyly.

"I have a place in mind" Humphrey said in a comical voice. Kate giggled and they started walking through the forest towards the Sentinel grounds. In ten minutes, after reaching the training grounds, they turned left and went along the woods until they found a very secluded clearing filled with some unique white flowers.

"Wow. How did you know about this?" Kate asked.

"Once, when I was little, I kinda got lost in the woods. In the end, I found my way back, but remembered where this place was. I liked the flowers here. They smell like honey" Humphrey said smelling one. Kate smelled one too and her senses got overwhelmed by the sugary smell.

Humphrey lied down, among the flowers, smelling them and enjoying the aroma. Kate lied down by him, pretending to smell the flower just beside his paw, but actually taking in his scent. It drove her mad with passion. Humphrey put a paw tentatively around her and she gave him a shy lick on the cheek. Humphrey smiled and brought her closer, their fur now touching and melting in one another. The familiar feel of the body of the other that both of them felt , made them relax and disconnect from the world around them. Kate slowly moved her head closer to his and she locked her lips with his and they both closed their eyes. Kate's tongue was searching for entrance and Humphrey was quick to comply to the wishes of his mate. Their tongues met at the middle, both of them battling for dominance, none of them giving up. Humphrey had a nasty trick in his sleeve. He took Kate by surprise as he put his other paw under her and turned them around, she being on top of him. They didn't break the kiss and Humphrey gained the victory of their war. He savored the aroma of victory as he explored every inch of Kate's mouth. At the same time, his paws began moving along her body, massaging it and feeling the stress in every muscle. Humphrey explored every curve of her body, relaxing her muscles in his actions. Kate moaned into the kiss, deepening it, and moved her paws around his chest. It felt far more muscular than before and more defined. She moved her paws over each muscle on his chest and upper-belly. She felt muscle moving with each of her movements. She opened her eyes and, for the first time, she noticed that Humphrey was at least twice as muscular as before. And ten times hotter. She smiled in the kiss and put her body down on him, grinding her chest fur against his chest. The feeling of their fur mixing and the feeling of their relaxed bodies moving on their own increased their pleasure. Humphrey could feel that he was getting aroused and Kate felt a little push on her under-belly. She broke the kiss and smiled coyly at him. On the background of a setting sun and a clear sky, she looked like a goddess to Humphrey. He smiled back and she turned around. She didn't give him any time and quickly began licking his member. The shock of her smooth and slippery tongue made Humphrey moan in pleasure. Then she took it in her mouth. The warmth of her mouth gave Humphrey a new jolt of pleasure. She began slowly bobbing her head up and down, her tongue moving relentlessly in her mouth, coiling around his member and giving Humphrey pleasure. He moaned louder than before and grabbed Kate's butt with his paws. He began massaging it, which made Kate let out small moans of pleasure. He smiled an evil smile, sniffed around her entrance a couple of times and then gave it a long lick. Kate yelped and shuddered in pleasure but continued in what she was doing. Humphrey began giving small, regular licks around her entrance. The pleasure and the speed Kate had increased, her moans becoming louder and the vibrations of her voice giving another increase in the pleasure Humphrey felt. He began softly moaning too, as he slowly nibbled on her folds, his wet and cold nose touching her entrance and sending shivers up her spine. After a couple of moments, Humphrey returned to licking and gently pushed his tongue inside, tasting her inner walls. He felt Kate trembling in ecstasy and increasing her pace. Humphrey took his tongue out and gave a loud moan before he said:

"I am not going to last any longer."

Hearing this, Kate prepared for what was coming. Humphrey, however returned to exploring her interior. Her juices began to accumulate slowly, and he could taste their bitter-sweet aroma. He closed his eyes as he climaxed. This time, Kate was ready and didn't let anything go to waste. When Humphrey climaxed, the shock made him push his tongue farther inside. The feeling made Kate moan loud as her walls clamped on his tongue and juices began flowing like a waterfall. When her shudders stopped, Humphrey carefully removed his tongue from inside her and began licking his face. Kate slowly got up and turned around, before resting her body back over him. He smiled when he saw her face and she bashed her eyelashes seductively at him. He grinned and grabbed her back with his paws, bringing her in a kiss. While they were kissing, Humphrey aligned his member with her entrance and touched her entrance softly. When, Kate felt this, she pushed her body downward as Humphrey pushed up. When he was almost completely inside, Kate moaned in pleasure and started moving her hips, slowly at first, but with each movement picking up more speed. Each time she moved, his member pleasantly stretched her walls. After Kate grew accustomed to him inside her, Humphrey began meeting each of her movements which one of his own, several times touching a sweet spot inside her.

"Oh yeah... That's the spot. Faster... Humphrey. Mmmmh... Deeper" Kate moaned as Humphrey complied, bucking his hips faster and reaching deeper inside her. He could feel her shuddering in pleasure in his paws. He could also feel his climax building.

"I... am close" he said through greeted teeth.

"Me...too. Fill me Humphrey" Kate moaned as she brought him in a kiss.

Humphrey felt her walls clamping on his member as he managed to introduce his knot, locking them in place. He gave a big moan in his kiss, as he and Kate climaxed together, their fur rising on end with pleasure and ecstasy.

When their bodies finally relaxed, Humphrey broke the kiss and said in a comical tone:

"Is it just me, or is this getting better every time?" Kate gave a soft giggle and mumbled:

"You're right. It gets better every time." She them began slowly moving, resting her head on his chest and listening to the heart of her mate. The steady beating of his heart which seemed to have calmed out already, helped her relax even more.

"You know, we should get some sleep. Tomorrow morning we should sneak to the river and wash up before training" Humphrey said as he intertwined their tail and moved them so that they covered both of them. Then, he put his paws around her, bringing her closer and feeling the smoothness of her fur.

"Sounds perfect" Kate said with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips. She was feeling exhausted after the amount of passion that passed through them before. The next second, she fell asleep, dreaming of more peaceful times and Humphrey.

Humphrey was still awake as he listened to Kate's breathing. A couple of ideas popped in his head and he decided to talk to Sally about them tomorrow. But for now, he needed rest. No matter how exhausting the training was, it could not compare in the slightest with the affairs that happened in this clearing. He closed his eyes, a smile growing on his face as he thought about him, Kate and the journey they were on. A journey for two wolves that was full both of happy and sad moments, a journey that had, has and will have its ups and downs, a journey that will define them as a team and as individuals. A journey of change for them and for the world around them.

**Aaaand...scene. Here it is, guys and girls, my present for you this Christmas. I really hope you enjoy it. Leave me a review and stay strong. All of us are on a journey like Kate and Humphrey...a journey called life. One day, maybe our paths will meet. Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to everyone and your families and friends!**

**And, as usual...**

**LionPranster, over and out.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys and girls. Welcome to 2015 ! (Well, at least where I live) :))) I hope you are all well and ready for another chapter in this story :D**

**Enjoy :D**

**Chapter 11 – The dance of two**

The early morning breeze ruffled Walter's fur as he arrived back on the Western grounds with the wolves of the Northern pack, both Alphas and Omegas. As he approached the main grounds, a couple of western patrols escorted him and the wolves he brought to the main den. The sun barely shone over the canopy of the trees, but the light was sufficient for Walter to see Winston awake and looking at the horizon. Walter could see that he hadn't slept that night, his eyes were almost closing and his usual smile and happy attitude towards Walter was no longer present. Walter approached him and sat by him.

"Winston, I have returned" Walter said with a sigh.

"I can see that. Thank you again for your support. Hutch will be able to explain to your wolves everything we know up until now and what the strategy is at the moment" Winston said, before turning to him with his eyes deep in their sockets from no sleep.

"Right…Winston, are you feeling okay? You don't look too good and you kind of worry me" Walter said serious. Winston smiled a small smile and said:

"I am fine. I didn't sleep last night though. And the night before. And the one before that…maybe I should get some rest…"

"I think that will be for the best. Oh, by the way, when we came here, two of your patrols escorted us. There were wolves I haven't seen before. Who were they?" Walter asked.

"Those were the former Southern packs. Their leader, Danny, merged his pack with mine and gave us his territories. He wants all of Jasper united against the Wretches. He also stepped down and became a regular Alpha, leaving his pack under my command…a move I didn't agree at first…" Winston explained.

"That is rather extreme, but I can see his reasoning…and I have thought about this too…" Walter said matter-of-factly. Winston looked at him with a bewildered expression.

"Not you too..." Winston said shaking his head.

"Why not? You are older than me and have been in a guerilla war before with the Eastern pack. You have better leadership skills than me…and frankly, I might be more physical fit than you, but I lack in courage…a lot. I mean, I haven't seen the Wretches yet and I don't really want to fight them if I can help it" Walter said in a whisper. Winston began laughing, before he said:

"You haven't changed a bit, brother. So what exactly do you want to do?"

"I will talk with my pack and merge it with yours. I will too step down and leave them under your command, as well as our territory. It seems like the best approach" Walter said with a smile. Winston sighed and nodded. After that he called as loud as he could:

"HUTCH!" They waited a couple of moments before a wolf came running through the forest like mad. He stopped in a cloud of dirt in front of Winston and asked:

"You called, sir?"

"Yes. The Northern pack wishes to do the same thing as the Southern pack. Please explain them everything and give my brother here the same kind of treatment you gave Danny. Also, find them dens. By the way, Walter, we began a training program for Omegas. We give them combat training in the morning. With them in our army, our forces will double and maybe we will have a bigger chance. Will your Omegas join the training?" Winston said.

"You mean your Omegas. I am sure they will. Hutch, can we go discuss this with my pack and then you can explain everything?"

"Sure thing Walter, is it?" Hutch said with a smile. Walter nodded and they both left. Just then, Eve came out of the den and sat by her husband.

"You haven't slept again?" she asked almost amazed.

"Couldn't. I had some strategies to plan. But the Northern pack merged with us and brought fifty wolves. I have three hundred and fifty wolves under my command, not counting the pups and elders. I just hope it will be enough" Winston said with a heavy sigh.

"You know honey, I don't want to be rude, but you are getting kind of old for this war stuff" Eve said with a caring smile as she petted his head. Winston retorted:

"Am I? Last time I checked I could still hunt. If I can still breathe, I will defend my pack."

"But your determination hasn't faded one bit" Eve said chuckling. Winston smiled and they stood in silence for a couple of moments.

"Dear, do you know a couple of wolves named Butch and Corey?" Eve asked.

"Yeah, why?" Winston asked confused.

"You know what rumor they spread around the pack? That Humphrey and Kate are in their honeymoon right now" Eve said with a snarl. Winston chuckled and said:

"Well, they are young and in love. What would you expect? They went to train bot they won't train from morning till dusk. They will have breaks and…ahem…alone time" Winston said keeping his smile. Eve looked at him with a shocked expression. Before she could make any brisk remark, she remembered that Kate was a young adult now and that she was with Humphrey, the kindest wolf she knew, besides Winston. But she still said it:

"If Kate comes followed by pups, Humphrey will have to say goodbye to his tail, his fur and probably his nose." Winston's smile changed to shock in a second as his eyes grew with fear. Humphrey will have pups with Kate. He will be a grandfather sometime. Maybe he was getting too old for this war stuff. It was playing tricks on his mind. Either that or he needed sleep.

Before Eve could see his shocked face, he covered it with a cough and said:

"I am going to sleep. Wake me if anything happens. Also, call Danny, Hutch, Tony and Walter to meet me tonight, I need to talk with them." Eve nodded and watched her mate go inside to get some sleep. After that she just lied there, looking at the sky, the pack and the forest in general and imagining ways to torture Humphrey if he returned with a pregnant Kate.

**-the Sentinels grounds-**

"Hurry Humphrey. We are already late" Kate said giggling as Humphrey quickly dried himself from their early bath. They needed it after the adventure from last night.

"Coming" he said as they ran together to the training grounds where their morning training was supposed to take place.

Two minutes later, they arrived at the training grounds but Sally was not there.

"How about we begin training and wait after we finish it. Maybe she didn't wake up yet" Humphrey said with a smile. Kate nodded and they began their running around the grounds. They didn't hurry and their breathing was as usual, calculated and maintained. They kept the breathing rhythm they always had in training, not talking. Their bodies touched as they ran one beside the other as they usually did. From time to time, Humphrey would look to where Sally was supposed to stay and watch them train. Then he would return his attention to Kate and to the running.

After almost a hundred laps, they stopped. They did double the number because they only had three more days and they wanted to make the most out of it. Just then, Kate said:

"Finally, she woke up" as she pointed at the small hill where Sally waited for them. They walked to her and Humphrey asked:

"Are you okay? You missed our training here and we began getting worried."

"I am quite fine. Yesterday I took a little too many sleeping herbs. But I needed them after our training. Well, let's walk to the river. We will continue with swimming for a couple of hours since you doubled the running time" Sally said with a smile. Both Humphrey and Kate smiled and the three of them walked to the river. Kate jumped straight in the water and Humphrey wanted to follow her, but Sally called him to her. Kate wanted to return and go with him, but he said:

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you later." Kate nodded and returned to swimming. Humphrey walked to Sally and she said:

"I see that something is bothering you and you don't want Kate to know. So, what is it? Spill it out." Humphrey chuckled and said:

"You are a keen observer yourself. I just wanted to ask you if there was going to be any combat training? I feel like that might be useful…"

"There is. I planned to start it after you climbed the trees. Anything else?" Sally asked. Humphrey nodded and whispered something in her ear. Sally smiled a warm smile and said:

"I will see what I can do. I'll let you know."

"Thank you. Well, back to training" Humphrey said as he jumped straight into the water. He swam to Kate and said:

"It was nothing serious. She just wanted to let me know that we will also do combat training today."

"That is serious. And important. And fun" she added with a sly smile.

"I suggest we don't use…ummm…special attacks" Humphrey said trying to find a better way to put it. Kate giggled but nodded and they kept paddling for the remaining time if the two hours they had to fill.

When they though the time was up, they got out from the water and shook their furs to get dry. Kate waited for Humphrey to finish drying his fur before she shook hers and made him drenching wet again.

"Geez, thanks a bunch Kate" Humphrey said with faked irritation. Kate just giggled and said:

"Who told you to dry first? Besides, you look hotter this way. I can see every part of your body. Your strong back" she began saying as she walked around him, touching said part of his body as she said it: "your puffy chest, your handsome face, your flat and full of muscle underbelly and your big and lovely-"

Kate stopped as she grabbed his sheath. Humphrey's face grew bright red and whispered to her, not moving his mouth or his lips:

"Kate, Sally is still watching…"

Kate's face quickly grew bright red as she let her paw fall slowly to the ground. She quickly glanced to where Sally was and Sally was looking at them, but her eyes seemed blank. She and Humphrey walked to her, both their blush disappearing and Humphrey waved a paw in front of her face. No reaction.

"I think she is a trance. Sally, wake up" Humphrey called. Sally blinked her eyes quickly and said:

"What time is it? Where am I?"

"We just finished with the swimming. Are you okay?" Kate said worried.

"Yeah. I learned how to sleep with my eyes open. I just fell asleep from the exhaustion" Sally said getting up.

"Come with me. You will begin climbing trees now. After that, you will go to the log. I decided this will be better since you will need all the force you have for climbing" Sally said walking away. Humphrey and Kate followed her, but kept their distance. Kate whispered to Humphrey:

"See? No harm done" and then she smiled slyly at him.

"We were lucky…but sleeping with your eyes open…isn't that odd?" Humphrey said a little confused. Kate just shook her head and they kept walking until they reached the starting line for their running practice. Sally stopped and sat down near the archway formed by the trees. Humphrey and Kate stopped too and looked at her, waiting to hear about tree climbing.

"Okay. The point is fairly easy. Climb the trees as fast as you can and don't fall. This will give you more flexibility and will also improve your reflexes when it comes to reacting instantly to something. Use these lower trees first. By tonight, I want to see both of you jumping from a tree to another. If you don't, you won't sleep until you can. Understood?" Sally said with a severe voice. Kate nodded and Humphrey just gulped as he looked up at the trees.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean climbing trees? Who ever heard of a wolf doing such a thing" he said nervously.

"Well, you do have some experience. Remember that night at the Howling Stone? When you almost fell on Garth? I saw you up there…after all, needles don't fall randomly in the summer, do they?" Kate said with a smirk.

"You saw me there? Hmm…I thought you might have missed it. But that was just one time" Humphrey said, grinning.

"Even young, your instincts pointed you the right way. It was not a coincidence" Sally said with a grin.

"Instincts? My friends jumped on me and accidentally pushed from the Stone into the abyss. I grabbed the first thing I could" Humphrey said.

"And when we fought the bears? You also stood quite comfortably hanging from the tree branch… even making jokes. And how about when you saved me from the river of mud. Nice swinging there, by the way" Kate said with another smirk. Humphrey nodded and said:

"Okay, maybe not one time. But three times proves nothing."

"Sure it does. As I understand it, all of them happened when you were in trouble…and your instincts showed you the way" Sally said with a smirk of her own. "Besides, all Sentinels knew how to climb a tree and to move undetected from branch to branch. It prevents following by scent or paw prints during rains. But not during thunderstorms. That is dangerous" Sally added with a serious face.

"Got it. No trees during thunderstorms" Kate said serious.

"Good. Now hop to it" Sally said pointing at the trees. Humphrey and Kate chose a tree each and looking at each other, Kate said:

"Race you to the top" as she started trying to climb. Humphrey sighed and said to himself:

"Here goes nothing" and jumped on the nearest branch. The jump was much higher than he expected. But then he realized that he was no longer the old, weak version. He now had physical power.

"Maybe this is going to work after all" he said to himself again as he jumped on another branch. When he managed to land safely, he looked at Kate and saw she was already on the fifth branch. He smiled and kept jumping from branch to branch, however, keeping the distance from the ground constant. When he was confident in his abilities to not fall, he made his way a little higher. Then, he looked down at the ground. What he saw almost gave him the creeps. He was already more than twenty feet in the air. He wondered how he will get down, but then remembered and trick he saw Kate do when they were in Idaho and she jumped from the small cliff there. He jumped and rolled through the air, landing on his paws beside the tree.

Kate heard the sound of the branch Humphrey was on just a second before and looked. He was no longer there. She looked down and saw him rolling to the air to land perfectly on his feet. She jumped too and landed beside him.

"And where did you learn to do that?" she asked with a smile.

"I…uh…knew it from before remember? In Idaho and that cliff? I told you I was just beside you…" Humphrey said with a grin.

"No, you didn't. I felt you falling there" she said with a smirk.

"You knew that too? Damn" he said, his ears dropping a little. Before Kate spoke again, she looked at Sally. Sally looked at her confused before understanding.

"I'm…going to hunt for the meal" she said getting up and quickly going away. Kate looked back at Humphrey and said, lifting his face to look straight in his eyes:

"Humphrey, do you know what I love about you? I love everything about you. Your mistakes, your pranks, your body, your mind, your feelings…but do you know what convinced me that you were the one for me?" Humphrey shook his head and Kate sat down beside him, putting her tail around his lower back. Then she spoke:

"Your attitude. You were always beside me, and even though I was down, you were in great spirits almost each step on our way back from Idaho. And those great spirits made me happy. And even though you sometimes goofed around too much and managed to fall from the cliff, you immediately said you were okay so I won't get worried. You are a selfless wolf and I love you for that. You are one of a kind, you know? I mean, there were other wolves back in Alpha School that would do things like these, but only to impress me. I was not impressed. But your goodness and your way of being made me realize who I really was and who I wanted to be…who I wanted to live my life with. And you know what I decided? I decided that I wanted a certain goofy and cute Omega to become my mate and make me feel alive and happy."

All during her speech, Humphrey didn't move his eyes from hers. He only saw love and he could feel his eyes swelling with tears. He hugged her and said:

"And I chose the most beautiful, kind and cute Alpha I could have…you are the one and only for me Kate. I love you." She returned the hug and buried her face in his chest. From there she mumbled:

"So, where did you learn that?"

"I…didn't. Humphrey said with half a grin. "I saw you do it and decided it can't be that hard. I just mimicked what you did…" She quickly moved her head from his chest and said:

"That was reckless…you could have injured yourself…"

"I've had worse. Plus, there were only twenty feet. I fell from higher from the cliff. And I did it the first try" Humphrey added with a smirk. Kate shook her head again, but she was smiling.

"One day, you are going to get yourself in trouble. And when that day comes, I will be there to keep you company and make it better, I promise" she said as she broke the hug and walked to the tree. Humphrey to walked to his tree and they began climbing again. When he reached the last branch that could support his weight, he looked around and saw a nice, thick branch in another tree. He let himself drop into pounce position and prepared to jump. Then, after he made sure that Kate wasn't watching him, he jumped. He landed on the branch perfectly.

"Yes" he said in a whisper as a wide grin appeared on his face. He then looked around for another branch and jumped over to it. And then another. And another. He kept jumping from tree to tree, his mind letting go of the concentration as he chose his target for the next jump, before landing on the branch. He barely touched the branch, not even making it move, and he was already in the air again.

Kate was looking at his mate going from tree to tree with a blazing speed. He barely touched the branches and no sound could be heard as he landed or jumped. He landed in the same tree as she was in, a couple of branches lower.

"Way to go, Humphrey!" she called happily from above him. He looked up and grinned his goofy grin. She turned back to the branch in front of her and did the same as Humphrey did. She wobbled a little in the air, before landing on the branch. She felt the branch giving under her, but before she could react, she was already in the air, and not by her own will. Humphrey saw her jump and then saw the branch. However, he saw that the back end of the branch was rotten. In an instant he jumped after Kate and grabbed her by the scruff just as she landed on the branch and it gave away and landed with her on another branch. Her legs were trembling for a second, before she came out of the shock.

"Thanks" she said with a little tremor in her voice.

"No problem. Just choose a strong branch next time. Its underside was rotten. That is why it gave away" Humphrey said nuzzling her neck. She stopped trembling after a couple of minutes and she let Humphrey know that she wanted to try again. He nodded and jumped away, as she chose her next branch. She jumped on the next branch with no difficulty this time. Then she chose another one and landed perfectly.

"I am getting the hang of this. It's not that hard" she said laughing. Then she jumped again. And again. She was passing through tree with no problem now. Little by little, she began to see a path in the trees and a pattern formed of branches. She slowly began letting her instincts take over her as she too began jumping from a branch to another faster and faster. Twenty or so minutes later, she was beginning to barely touch the branches. Soon, while she was flying from tree to tree like an oversized flying squirrel, Humphrey joined her and they began jumping from tree to tree like it was a dance. They let their instincts take over as they began laughing and having fun.

Under the trees, Sally was watching them jumping from tree to tree as if it were a game. She could swear she just saw them touch their paws in midair.

"I swear that these two don't stop to amaze me. This training is supposed to take more than two years until you achieve full soundlessness while jumping. And here they are, two hours later, branches not moving when they touch them, jumping from tree to tree as if they were casually walking through the forest. Arthy, your son has more potential than you could even believe. And his happy attitude and selflessness have motivated Kate to be the same. She is not a Sentinel in body, but she sure is one in spirit. They almost make me jealous…" Sally said to herself as she smirked and began chuckling. She then returned to dragging the carcass of the caribou she hunted to the archway where Humphrey and Kate were training. When she reached it, she called:

"Okay, you two, come down and have a bite. I think you might be hungry from jumping from her to there!"

In a second, a rolling Humphrey landed, followed by a rolling Kate.

"I see you two had no problem figuring this training out" Sally said with a smirk.

"It wasn't that hard if you know what to look for and how much power to put in your jump" Humphrey said with a smile.

"Yeah, it is really easy. The hardest part is to barely touch the branch, but it becomes easy after a time and as you build speed and let your instincts take over" Kate said with a smile.

"Well, I am glad you managed to finish with this. After you eat, you will train with the log. And it will be double training since you pretty much doubled everything today" Sally said with a smile. Humphrey nodded and began eating.

After they ate their fill, they all made their way to the log. Humphrey was the first one to do the training. Kate and Sally put the log on his back and prepared to keep it, but he said:

"Leave it like it is. I want to try and see if I can. After all, isn't this supposed to be an injured wolf I am saving? I should learn how to keep it in balance while doing the training."

"Fair point. Very well. But, before doing this, help me find another one for Kate. The two of you will do the training at the same time" Sally said as she pushed the log from over him. Kate and Humphrey went and found another log that was a little smaller but thicker. They brought it to Sally and she put the logs on their backs, with some difficulty. Then they began doing push-ups. At first, it was kind of hard, but when they got into the rhythm and they steadied their breathing, it became easier for them to do the training. In an hour, they already finished it.

"Well, today went well. However, there is one more thing we have to take care of. Follow me" Sally said as she took them to the center of the clearing where they usually ran. She sat down and said:

"And now, combat training. There are some rules however, rules that only apply in training. Do not use your claws, do not injure too badly and do not kill your opponent. A match ends when one of you has the fangs around the neck of the other. But remember, in a real combat, there are no rules. A real combat ends when the opponent is either dead or fleeing. Now, take positions in front of one another." Humphrey and Kate did what she said. When they were on their position, Sally said:

"Begin."

Humphrey didn't know what to expect, but when Kate's paw hit him in the stomach, he knew that he had to defend himself.

"Ouch. That kind of hurt" he said getting up.

"Well, it is combat training so let's see what you can, big guy" Kate said with a smug grin on her face. Then she lunged at him again. This time, Humphrey was ready. At the last second, he sidestepped her attack and kicked her without much force in her hind leg. Kate fell to the ground rolling and in a second she was back up. Now, neither of them attacked. They were circling each other, looking for any hint that could give away their moves. Kate started moving faster and faster around Humphrey. He tried to keep his eyes on her, but she hit him with her head and then pinned him to the ground. She prepared to put her jaws around his neck, but stopped when she saw Humphrey smile. His smile distracted her attention and he used one of his hind legs to sweep her and turned the wheel around, him being now on top and with his jaws on her neck. He smelled her fur and it smelled very nice.

"Match for Humphrey" Sally called with a smile. Before Humphrey moved his jaws, he quickly licked Kate's neck. Then he helped her get up.

"That was a dirty little trick you did there, mister" Kate said laughing.

"It worked" he said with a grin.

"Again" Sally called as they took their position in front of the other. This time, Humphrey was the one to make the first move. He aimed for Kate's legs, but she jumped. In the air he rotated her body, preparing to hit him from above. But Humphrey quickly turned himself and blocked her kick. He then turned again and almost touched her. She, however, used the same thing she used on the trees and barely touched the ground before she jumped again.

"So this is how you want to play" Humphrey said as he quickly got up. He jumped too and they began trading kicks and blocking as fast as they could, every couple of blows, barely touching the ground. Sally was watching them with amazement. She has never seen the tree jumping technique used in a duel. It didn't even looked like a duel anymore. It looked like a complicated, beautiful but dangerous dance. Only Kate and Humphrey could have thought about this.

The match ended shortly after, when Kate managed to sneak a paw under Humphrey and unbalanced him in the air. He landed on his back with Kate over him, with her jaws around his neck but not applying any pressure.

"Match for Kate" Sally called. "Take a break, I want to talk to both of you" she added. They got up, Kate helping Humphrey and sat by Sally.

"Okay, what was with the fight in the air? I've never seen something like it" Sally asked curious.

"Well, I thought that if we could jump barely touching the tree branches, maybe we could do the same for the ground and I tried. It worked. Maybe this way we can also increase our running speed" she added turning to Humphrey.

"It's worth a try. We will try on our way home. Sally, you will be coming with us, won't you?" Humphrey asked with a smile. He saw Sally's eyes become sad.

"I'm afraid I can't now. I have something to do first…" Sally said avoiding their gaze. Humphrey nodded and nuzzled Kate as they waited for Sally to recover from her sudden burst of sadness.

"Okay, back to training you two. Again" Sally called, looking back at them. They got up and were again in attack position.

"Fight" Sally called.

**-a couple of hours later-**

"Okay, that is enough" Sally called as Humphrey won his third match in a row. They parted and Humphrey helped Kate get up. He then looked at the sky. The night was approaching with quickness and he was kind of sore from the fighting.

"Good fight. Kate, watch you left side more. You have a blind spot there and Humphrey learned how to use it. Humphrey, you won ten matches. Kate you won eight. Pretty good. I will see both of you tomorrow for your training. Have a good night" Sally said as she got up and left them there, in the clearing.

"Let's go to the den" Humphrey said nuzzling her. Kate giggled and they walked like they usually walked, their bodies touching and their tails intertwined.

"You know, it was never so much fun losing in a duel" Kate said with a giggle. "And you are pretty good, for a first duel day" she added.

"Thanks. But only pretty good? Oh, come on Kate. I won the last two fair and square" Humphrey said with a grin. "Which makes Omega two, Alpha zero" he added with a grin.

"How comes that it is two?" she asked laughing.

"Well, remember the snowball fight?" he added with a grin. She laughed and said:

"I got you for that one."

"Still, Omega two, Alpha zero" he said with a smile. Kate just shook her head, moved a little away from him and jumped on a tree, before jumping on him, pinning him to the ground and letting all her weight on him. Their fur and their bodies touched and Humphrey said with his goofy smile:

"Now I see why you said losing in a duel was fun." Kate smile slyly and said as she grinded on him:

"Want to continue this duel at home, or you prefer to finish it here?" Humphrey grinned and Kate grinned too. He swooped her off her feet and again turned them around, this time locking their lips, Kate squealing in delight and surprise. His member was already stiff, so he didn't waste any more time. He aligned his member with her entrance and in one swift motion, he was inside her. Her insides got stretched by him and she moaned in the kiss with her eyes closed. She began moving her paws across his back, bringing him closer to her. He began moving his hips, setting a steady pace. Kate broke the kiss and moaned loudly, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Humphrey could see the delight, the love and the lust in her eyes. He moved his head lower and began licking her fur, caressing every centimeter of her body. This time, her fur smelled like fresh spring and the smell made his shudder in delight. She kept moaning at each of Humphrey's trusts as Humphrey worked, maintaining a steady pace.

"Faster...mmmm...deeper..." he heard Kate saying between moans. He steadily picked up more speed and depth on his trusts. With every move, the forest reverberated with the sound of their passionate love. Humphreys form was a blur as their bodies moved in perfect tandem. When Humphrey felt his knot swollen, he said:

"I am close..."

This was all the signal Kate needed. When he next pushed, she caught his lower back with her hind legs and brought him inside her as deep as she could, locking them in place. The sudden movement sent Humphrey over the edge and he burst inside her. Kate gave out a loud shriek of pleasure and passion as her walls clamped around his member. Humphrey, spent, let his weight fall over her as he still licked her neck and behind her ears. He stopped and said:

"This is the most exhausting workout in this training."

Kate giggled, her mind in the moment and Humphrey joined her as they laughed together.

"You know Humphrey, I wouldn't move from this spot for nothing in the world right now" Kate said with a loving and goofy smile like Humphreys.

"Well, I guess I will have to carry you then" he said with a chuckle as Kate only shook her head in amusement. Humphrey got up, Kate paws around his back and lower back, and started slowly walking back to the den which was only a couple of minutes away. He reached it without much problem and after he was inside, he slowly let Kate touch the ground with her back before he lied down over her, to keep her warm.

"This is comfy" he said with a smile as he nuzzled her neck. Kate smiled and began caressing his head as he slowly fell asleep. After his breathing became slow and deep, indicating that he was asleep, she kissed his forehead and hugged him tighter, falling asleep.

**Aaaaand...scene. Another chapter is finished guys and girls, and is also a pretty big one. I am waiting for you reviews to tell me what you think. Looking forward to them.**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys and girls. LionPrankster here with the next chapter. My grandpa passed away on the 5th of January and I want to dedicate this story to him because he was the person that taught me how to behave around animals and how to understand them. I will also use this privilege to thank to one of my closest friends who might or might not be reading this. When he heard the news, he said nothing, he asked nothing and he did nothing. I just realized that he knows me better than I knew I knew myself before this incident. I prefer to be left alone and deal with the pain in my own way, and he understood it perfectly. But, even though he said nothing, I saw the worry in his eyes and I want to thank him for that. **

**Now, please do enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 12 – A Sentinel**

The blazing sun shone brightly over the canopy of the forest in Jasper Park. Winston was up and in the middle of a meeting with the other leaders of the packs and his wife, Garth and Lilly. He was speaking as silently as possible but as firmly as he could:

"Okay, so the cubs will be sent to the Northern territory today. I will send your team, Hutch, to take them there and guard them. You, however, will come back here, because I need you here. Each of you, go announce the families that have cubs that it is time to prepare. The Wretches won't be waiting for long and we need all the time and wolves that we have. Everyone understood?"

All the wolves nodded and Winston added:

"Let's move then. Oh, and by the way…Garth, toughen the training of the Omegas a little. We don't have time to loose and we need them as tough as possible." Garth nodded and then their meeting was dismissed as each and every wolf taking part in it went to accomplish the orders. All except Eve, who remained by Winston.

"Winston dear, are you okay? You already look tired and it is only morning" Eve said in a sweet tone as she sat down beside him.

"I am quite okay, although the worry and the stress eat me from inside out. But this crisis will end soon. We just have to take care to make this war a quick one. Attack as hard as we can and overwhelm them. There is no other way…" Winston said as he put a paw on his forehead, feeling a headache approaching.

"I'll go fetch Barbara. You go and rest now. She will deal with the headache" Eve said, giving a kiss on his cheek. Winston nodded and went inside his den and lied down. In a couple of minutes Barbara came around with some herbs in her mouth and helped Winston with his throbbing head. Then she let him be and rest. When he saw that he was alone, he said out loud, almost in a joking manner:

"Who said being a leader is easy?"

He laughed at his own joke for some time, before the sleeping herbs that Barbara brought had effect and then he fell asleep.

**-the Southern territory-**

"Sir, our scout has returned" a big black wolf said in a slow and raspy whisper as he entered the den of the former leader of the Southern pack.

"Send him inside" a voice said in a monotone from the shadows of the den. The wolf bowed and left. A moment later another thinner wolf came inside. His black fur was covered in mud and leaves. He bowed deeply and said:

"Sir, I have done as you instructed and now, I have returned."

"What have you found out?" the voice from the darkness spoke again, in a calmer yet hurried tone.

"All the packs of Jasper have united. The tunnel is guarded at every moment. We can't pass through there. However, there seems to be a lack of guards on the border with the territory of the Sentinels. They-"

A loud growl interrupted him from speaking. The shape that was the darkness of the den began moving. It became an enormous black wolf with deep red eyes.

"Never speak that word in front of me ever again. And you know we can't go through there. You remember the wolves I sent to follow the daughter of their leader? They walked on the ground that They used to poses. They died a couple of hours after they returned. You know we can't step on that part of the park. That was the curse the damned Arthy released on my team when we surrounded him. I was the only one to escape alive and you know it. Now, go back. We need to find a way in. If nothing turns up, we will attack in a couple of days. If you find anything, we might attack sooner. Go and tell the wolves to ready for battle. They won't know what hit them" the massive wolf said as the thinner scout bowed deeply and exited the den.

"They will soon taste the power I have and they will regret ever being alive. I wonder, however, why was the daughter of their leader on Their ground…" the wolf said, speaking with himself.

**-the grounds of the Sentinels-**

"Okay you two, I think this is it. The last match" Sally said as Kate and Humphrey got into fighting position again.

"Begin when you're ready" Sally said in a calm voice. She didn't even get to finish her sentence properly, before Kate and Humphrey already traded the first blows in the air. They were once again in the forest and this time they were using any means necessary, except injuries and words, to defeat their opponent. They were already jumping around from three to three at a very high speed. They didn't even see Sally anymore. They were too focused on the fight.

"I have never seen any other wolf fight light this. And I trained a lot of Sentinels" Arthy's spirit said as he appeared beside Sally and looked at the two of them fighting.

"Yes. And Kate isn't even a Sentinel" Sally added with a smile. Arthy nodded with a grin and looked back at the two mates as they fought. Sally watched as Arthy's shape faded away in the sunlight. The last this she heard was him saying:

"He really grew to be a good wolf and Sentinel…"

After his form faded completely, she turned her attention back to the two, who after all this time, were still fighting. It was the longest fight yet. However, it didn't last. They clashed once again in midair, not too far away from the earth and they fell. Both of them had the jaws around the neck of the other.

"Part" Sally called simply and they let go and got up.

"So, who won?" Kate asked in an excited voice.

"It was a tie. It looks like you are now on the same level when it comes to fighting…and you can dash through the trees at neck-breaking speed…and you aren't tired after training and fighting for several hours without breaks…which means only one thing. Come with me" Sally said with a smile as she walked to the two trees that formed an arcade. She stopped when Kate and Humphrey were under the two trees.

"Kate, Humphrey asked me to perform a ceremony I haven't performed in a very long time. Will you take part in it?" Sally asked her with a smile.

"What is this ceremony and why didn't Humphrey tell me about it?" Kate asked with a surprised smile looking at Sally and then at Humphrey.

"Humphrey wants me to marry the two of you in the old way of the Sentinels. It is also the ceremony with which I invest Humphrey with the rank of a Sentinel" Sally said. Kate nodded and Sally continued:

"Very well then. Please stand one in front of the other. We are here today to unite the destinies of two lives, of two wolves. They have already gone through a lot and have a lot to go through still. Humphrey, please say the vows that will bind you to your mate." Humphrey cleared his throat. His eyes began glowing from blue to golden. His fur lightened in color and beams of light began covering it. In a matter of seconds, Humphrey's fur got coated with a robe of solid light. Both Kate and Sally were awed and had no words for the scene they were witnessing. Humphrey spoke, his voice a little stronger than normal:

"I, Humphrey, son of Arthy and Senna, the last Sentinel, promise you, Kate, that I will love you forever, that I will protect you from danger to the best of my abilities and, if I have the choice, I will lay my life on the line to save yours. I swear this on my name, on my duty as a Sentinel and on my life as your mate." He then lifted his paw and put it on Kate's forehead, his eyes never wavering from her eyes. Under his paw, light burst, covering her forehead.

"Kate, it is your turn to say your vows that will bind you to Humphrey" Sally said.

"I, Kate, daughter of Winston and Eve, promise you, Humphrey, that I will love you forever, that I will do my best to protect you, that I will stand by you in good times and in bad times and I will follow you in battle, in life and in love. This I swear on my life as your mate" Sally said, with an eerie tone to her voice. She then lifted her paw and touched Humphrey's forehead. Her fur began glowing too and a coat covered her fur too, while a small bean of light appeared on her forehead as a simple crown. On Humphrey's head, a similar crown appeared.

"I, Sally, bind together these two lives that swore to each other in front of me that they will love one another forever and they will protect one another to the best of their abilities. The crowns symbolize your unity in mind and in decision and the robes symbolize your union in love. May your hearts and minds work as one and may fortune and happiness follow you on this path that is your destiny" Sally said touching both of their foreheads, over their paws. The light in their furs started to fade as did the golden color of Humphrey's eyes. After a couple of moments, Sally let her paws fall to the ground and all three of them exhaled at the same time.

"Okay…Kate, I believe you have some question as to what you just witnessed and what you took part in" Sally said with a smile. Kate nodded and Sally said:

"In most Sentinel weddings, the fur of the Sentinel is infused with light at the moment of the vows. But, for some reason, for Humphrey, the light formed an actual robe and crown. His eyes also changed. And the voice you heard was the voice of his soul. In a Sentinel wedding, the vows are said by the souls of the two wolves. As you might have noticed, a robe of light and a crown formed around you too. The reason this happened is because when a non-Sentinel is wed to a Sentinel in the Sentinel way, he or she receives some of their power. By that I mean that now both of you can feel when the other one is in danger and also you senses are sharpened. Also, the effect of the random mind connection I mentioned when you began your training will become stronger. With practice, you will be able to transmit small commands between your minds. Also, these vows, once completed will never break. They will act as a compass to one another in case you will ever be separated." Both Kate and Humphrey thought a couple of moments about what Sally said. Then Sally continued:

"Now, Kate if you will step away for a moment as I invest Humphrey to the rank of Sentinel, it would be for the best." Kate nodded and walked a few paces away. Sally turned back to Humphrey and closed her eyes. Her markings began glowing from red to blue as did her eyes. She put her paw on Humphrey's head and his robe of light returned right away, as did his golden eyes. Sally began speaking in an eerie voice and as if she was far away:

"Humphrey, son of Arthy and Senna, you have completed your training as a Sentinel, even though the time was almost a third of a normal training time and you suffered great emotional pain. You lost a lot, but gained a lot. I hereby give you the title of Sentinel, the defender of peace and truth, of selflessness and courage, bringer of hope and dreams. May you wear it with pride and may it serve you well. You destiny is to walk on a path that has never been walked on, to open new paths for the ones following you and to guide them. Guide them with courage, with compassion and with fairness. May the sun, the moon and good fortune smile upon you."

Sally let her paw fall and the blue color faded. Humphrey's eyes returned to their normal color and so did his fur.

"You are now officially a Sentinel. Bear this title with pride" Sally said with a smile. Then she waved to Kate to come beside Humphrey. After she came, Sally said:

"Congratulations to both of you for finishing this training. I suggest you get a good-night sleep and be ready by tomorrow morning. You will need to be ready to start your return journey. Also, I have made a decision. I will join your pack but I will not come now. I will take a couple of days to prepare and after that I will come to your pack. You can tell this to Winston for me?" Sally said with a smile. Both Kate and Humphrey nodded with smiles.

"Very well then. Off you go. Take a break. You deserve it" Sally said as Humphrey and Kate walked away to the main grounds of the Sentinels.

**-a few hours later-**

"Dear?" Eve voice could be heard. Winston woke up from his slumber and saw Eve beside him.

"Yes? What is it?" he asked with a confused expression.

"There is a goose outside that wants to talk with you. It says it is important" Eve said. Winston nodded and Eve went outside. A moment later, Marcel came inside.

"Hello monsieur Winston. Do you remember me, yes?" Marcel said with his smile.

"Yes Marcel. What is it?" Winston asked.

"Humphrey sent me. He will be returning tomorrow. He has completed his training by now. He said that the Wretches will attack the day after tomorrow and that you should be ready by then" Marcel said, his grin falling. Winston sleepy face became worried.

"How does he know this?" Winston asked.

"He didn't say. But he said that he is quite certain about it" Marcel said. Winston nodded and said:

"Thank you for sharing this. I will let the wolves know. Eve, come here please." Marcel nodded and left. Eve came in and Winston said:

"Prepare the wolves. We have one more day before the Wretches attack. Also, Humphrey returns tomorrow. Make the necessary preparations for the attack. Double the patrols. Also, let the others that we spoke with this morning know that Humphrey returns tomorrow. By the way, where is Hutch?"

"You sent him with the cubs, remember? He will be back by morning" Eve said with a smile. "Now get some more rest. If what you said is real, you will need all the energy tomorrow. I will take care of the rest for once. Sweet dreams" Eve added. Winston nodded and got back to sleep. Eve let him sleep and went to spread the news.

**-back at the main den on the Sentinel grounds-**

Kate and Humphrey were lying one beside the other, Kate's head on Humphrey's front paws and his head over hers in a protective way. His tail was intertwined with hers and their bodies were so close to one another that they could feel the other breathing.

"It looks like we finally made one more important step in our journey" Kate said with a happy and content sigh.

"So it looks like. And you know what?" Humphrey said, raising his head a little. Kate looked at him and he said:

"I am happy that I could recover my memories and I could at least understand my pack, my origins and my power. But, the happiest I am because you were here with me and because we are walking this path together." Kate smiled and licked his neck. Humphrey closed his eyes and, after some time, they fell asleep together. And so, another step on this journey had been made, other paths have been revealed and two destinies that, until now, were merely touching each other, have now become one.

**Aaaand…scene. Thank you everyone fore reading and I want to know your opinions about this. Looking forward to read them. **

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi there everyone. I want to officially thank all of my reviewers for their support. It has been a rough period these couple of weeks, but I have come to terms with the situation for now. One day, I'll just sit down and take a good look at this, but until that day, life moves on and so must I and all of you. So, let us return to the story and I bring you here the thirteenth chapter of this adventure. Also, check out JokerBoss12's A&O story. It is quite awesome :D**

**Oh, I remembered the name of a game that I found recently. It changed the way I look at life now…I suggest you guys give it a play. It is called Presentable Liberty…maybe you will like it…maybe it will change your perception on life too.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter :D**

**Chapter 13 – The Truth is Out**

It was another warm morning in Jasper Park. The summer was getting closer and the weather was approaching the normal temperatures for the period. The sun was shining over the clearing that used to serve as main grounds to the Sentinels. The rays of the sun seemed to slowly move through the leaves of the trees until they reached the main den.

A ray hit Humphrey straight in the eyes as he was waking up. He sighed in annoyance. He hated waking early in the morning. The only reason he did it was to see Kate again and be with her. He yawned and looked around the den. This was probably the last time he was going to see this den in some time. Maybe he will return with his cubs one day to train them.

"Maybe one day…" he muttered to himself and smiled at the thought. He then blinked a couple of more times before he began licking Kate's cheek to wake her up. Her eyes fluttered open and a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"'Morning Humphrey. What's with the early call? I thought we were done with the training…"she said as she licked his cheek too.

"It's not that early. We should be going now. We want to return as soon as possible, don't we?" Humphrey said getting up and Kate following him.

"You are right. We are supposed to return today. Do you thing Marcel gave my father the message?" Kate asked as they started walking towards the Western territory.

"I have no doubt that he delivered the message" Humphrey said as they began picking up speed, now reaching a slow running.

"I hope you are right and that we are not late to defend the pack" Kate added, worry washing on her face. They reached now full sprint.

"Let's take it to the trees until we reach the river. They found us once before. We don't need that to happen again…for their sake" Humphrey said with a smile. Kate giggled and they jumped on a lower branch nearby. After jumping through a couple of trees, Humphrey said:

"You know what I was thinking this morning before I woke you up?"

"Do tell me" she said with a grin.

"I was thinking that maybe after all this is finished, we could bring our cubs here to train them and maybe come here some time. It seems such a quiet and beautiful place" Humphrey said with his big smile. Kate seemed to think for some time and then nodded:

"I like the idea and I love this place. No wonder your ancestors chose it as their main grounds. We will do this one day, but now we have to make sure we will reach that day." Humphrey agreed and they kept jumping from tree to tree until they reached the river. They jumped on the bank and began drinking some water. Then they crossed the river and continued their journey towards the Western territory at full sprint.

It was almost noon by the time they reached the border to the Western territory. They stopped right before it and Humphrey howled a high-pitched howl to announce their arrival. In less than a couple of minutes, Winston, Garth and Lilly arrived with another six wolves behind them.

"Is that Humphrey?" Garth asked confused as he saw a wolf easily twice as big as he remembered Humphrey with a slightly slimmer Kate.

"He has grown big" Lilly said with a smile and Winston chuckled. They all stopped in front of Humphrey and Winston spoke:

"Humphrey, welcome back. I hope your…ummm…journey has been productive."

"Thank you sir. Yes, it has. I managed to finish the…assignment with full success in little time. And so has Kate. I suppose no one knows yet…" Humphrey said with a smile as he gave Winston a hug.

"Not yet. You will tell all of them tonight at the meeting" Winston said in his ear in a whisper.

"Humphrey, my brother" Garth called, giving him a hug. Humphrey returned it, although he seemed a little surprised.

"Garth…it's good to see you again" Humphrey said with a smile.

"Say…umm…did you just grow or my memory is playing tricks on me?" Garth asked jokingly.

"I did and it wasn't easy" Humphrey said chuckling.

"Maybe we could wrestle one day, after all this ends?" Garth said with a grin.

"It will be my pleasure to give you a taste of the earth" Humphrey grinned too. They started laughing, Winston joining them. Meanwhile Lilly gave Kate a hug and said:

"So, how was your honeymoon?"

"The what?" Kate asked confused.

"The two guards said you two went in the honeymoon…so, how was it? And more important, did you enjoy Humphrey's…ahamm…company?" Lilly asked with a sly smile. Kate's face grew red with embarrassment.

"It was an experience and I enjoyed very much" Kate said, her blush deepening.

"And how many times did you enjoy his company?" Lilly asked, liking to see Kate embarrassed for once.

"Three times…" Kate answered with a small smile.

"Three!?" Lilly said loud enough so that all the wolves turned to them.

"Not so loud" Kate told Lilly through greeted teeth.

"Oops…sorry" Lilly said giggling. Humphrey shook his head in complete amazement. He will never be able to understand what they keep talking about.

"Don't worry, it's just girl talk" Garth said with a smile. Humphrey sighed and said:

"Winston, I remembered. Sally said she will come too in a couple of days to join your pack."

"Sally? Who is Sally?" Winston asked confused.

"The wolf you sent me to. She is a wolf witch, but she is nice overall" Humphrey said with a smile.

"A wolf witch? The only one I have heard of is Bloody Sally…" Winston said confused.

"Yep, the one and only" Humphrey confirmed him. Winston was amazed for a couple of seconds, before the astonishment left him. He said:

"So, I see the visit paid off, but how was your honeymoon? Eve would like to hear everything, and I mean it."

"Yeah…about that…it was a joke" Humphrey said with a smile and Winston exhaled in relief. "At first…" Humphrey added with an unsure smile. Winston remained frozen for a second and then said:

"At first? You mean that it changed from a joke to reality?"

"Well…it…kind of…yeah, it did" Humphrey said while Garth smiled at him slapped him across the back saying:

"Good job, Humphrey. I knew you had it in you."

"How many times did you and Kate…you know?" Winston interrupted him.

"Three" Humphrey said with a paw behind his head and a smile that said he knew he was in trouble. Winston sighed in exasperation while Garth's mouth fell open.

"Three times in a month and a half? Damn, you beat me to it…I only did it twice" Garth said with a grin.

"What? You did it too?" Winston asked confused this time. Garth made the same face Humphrey had before and Winston chuckled.

"Well, after all you are both married and young adults, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised…let's just hope Eve didn't hear this discussion" Winston said with a smile.

"I did…" Eve said from behind him with a motherly smile. "Lilly told me about it the first time, but stopped me before I managed to go after Garth…and I accepted it. However, Humphrey, since you were not here and I didn't know…" Eve added as she prepared to jump. Then she jumped, her eyes fixed on Humphrey, who was sitting in place one second. Nonetheless, Eve landed on the ground where Humphrey was before, but wasn't now. He was in the air and landed in a tree nearby.

"What? Where is he?" Eve asked as she looked at the ground confused.

"Up here. Eve, with all due respect, you can't tell me and Kate what we can or can't do" Humphrey said as he jumped from the tree beside her. "We are young adults and we are married" he added with a serious look. Eve just looked at him and took a moment to realize that the wolf who was now half a head taller than her was Humphrey.

"I guess you are right…Very well then" Eve said with a smile. "You know, you are the only one who stood up to me…and it is funny to finally see someone who understands what responsibility for their actions is. I was never against this, but I only wanted to teach you a lesson" she added before laughing at Winston's and Garth's confused expressions.

"Let's go. We have a meeting to attend to" Winston said after the shock passed. The group followed him back to the main den. On their way, they met many wolves, many of them who recognized Humphrey and said hi to him. When they finally reached the main den, Garth, Lilly, Humphrey, Kate and Eve went inside.

"Wait for me here. I will bring the others we need to talk to first. Then we will hold a meeting with the pack" Winston said as he left them inside the den. In a couple of minutes, he was back with Walter, Tony and Danny.

"Okay" Winston said as they all finally settled in a circle. "Let's begin by making the introductions…Danny, Walter, this fellow here is Humphrey, my son-in-law. He is the Sentinel I told you about. And he completed his training yesterday. Humphrey, this is my brother and former leader of the Northern pack, Walter and this is Danny, the former leader of the Southern pack. In case you didn't know, all the packs in Jasper united and they chose me as their leader" Winston said, finishing the introductions. Walter shook Humphrey's paw, squeezing a little. Humphrey knew he was testing him, so he squeezed too. Walter smiled and said:

"Pleased to meet you, Humphrey. How long have you trained? Last time I visited here, Winston showed you to me while you were asleep and I remember you being really little and frail, even for an Omega. No offense intended."

"None taken. In fact, I really was kind of frail. I trained for about a month and a week or so. Not that much. But the training was rather extreme, even by the expectances of Alpha training. Kate can confirm this" Humphrey said with a smile as he turned to Kate who smiled and nodded.

"So you really are a Sentinel, aren't you?" Danny said with wide eyes as he shook Humphrey's paw.

"Indeed I am" Humphrey said keeping his smile.

"To tell you the truth, me and everyone here thought Sentinels were a legend and not real. But you are here and this completely changes the situation" Danny said with a smile.

"So…what is the situation over here in reality?" Kate asked curiously.

"I can't tell for sure. We have over one hundred Alphas and over one hundred Omegas in training at the moment. The cubs are sent in the north. The Wretches are preparing an assault from the south. The patrols have been doubled and for now, we are standing ready for any attack. Your friend, the goose said you sent him with info on an attack later today or tomorrow" Winston said worried.

"Indeed I did. And the situation is better than I expected…I don't know how many Wretches there are, but we must hold this territory, no matter what" Humphrey said.

"Well, at least now we are all on the same page. Humphrey, you should prepare your speech. You will be speaking in front of the entire pack after the evening hunt. I think this is all for now. You should also remain here until the speech to avoid rumors being spread. I already talked with the wolves that accompanied us so they won't start spreading rumors aimlessly" Winston said as he got up.

"I guess you are right. Very well…oh, by the way, have you seen my friends, the three funny Omegas?" Humphrey asked.

"I have training with them in a couple of minutes actually. I will send them over here after they are done" Garth said with a smile. Humphrey smiled at him and nodded.

"Well, you two rest then. There is plenty of time until the meeting and your journey must have been quite tiring" Eve said with a smile as she and all the others left, leaving Kate and Humphrey alone in the main den.

Humphrey sat down in the back of the den and said:

"Is good to finally be back home…"

"Not much has changed since we went to train, although I wished we could go to our den before the speech, but I guess it is for the best" Kate said with a smile as she sat down beside him and put her head on his back.

"So, what do you think I should tell them?" Humphrey said with a smile.

"I don't know…maybe tell them about yourself before and after the training, since many of the wolves here don't believe in Sentinels" Kate suggested lazily, closing her eyes.

"That is actually a good idea…and after that? I mean, I've never given a speech before…" Humphrey said, anxiety building in him and making his hear beat faster. Kate, being with her head on his back, could head his heart accelerating.

"Relax Humphrey…of course you have…any many times before…after all, you berated my mother today and you declared your love to me several times…You will be fine" Kate said raising her head with a loving mile and licking his cheek. His face seemed to loosed under her tongues and she could see his muscles relaxing.

"You're right…I will be fine" Humphrey said with a big smile as he nuzzled her neck. Kate giggled and said:

"Stop it. It tickles…"

"Oh, so you are ticklish…that is something useful" Humphrey said with a playful growl escaping his maw.

"Did you just do like a pup?" Kate asked confused for a second.

"Ummm….maybe?" Humphrey said with a grin. Kate growled like a pup too and they both shared a big laugh. They laughed so hard and for so long that tears began escaping their eyes. However, Humphrey stopped abruptly.

"Someone's coming" he said in a whisper. Kate coughed a couple of times to calm herself, before wiping off her tears of joy.

"So, do you think Garth has been a little too rough on us today? And why did he send to the main den and told us to go inside? What did we do to deserve that?" Shakey asked.

"Na, he wasn't that rough, he just wants us to be prepared for the damn war. Plus, we need to-" Salty began but stopped when he saw Humphrey and Kate.

"Humphrey?" Salty asked with a confused look.

"Hi guys. How have you been?" Humphrey said with a wide smile.

"Wooooooooolf pile" Mooch called out and they all jumped on Humphrey. Kate managed to get out of the way just in time. When they landed on him, Humphrey let them, before he pushed all three of them up.

"Umm…guys? You mind getting off?" Humphrey said chuckling.

"Oh, yeah. Sure" Shakey said as they got off and managed to take a good look at Humphrey.

"You've grown. You are bigger that Garth!" Salty said with wide eyes.

"I did indeed grow, but I don't think that I am bigger than that moose of a wolf" Humphrey said with a grin. They all laughed at his joke, including Kate.

"So, where have you been?" Mooch asked.

"Where have I been? Well, I have been to…umm…to…" Humphrey said, trying to find a way to say it.

"To?" the guys called together, their curiosity reaching very high levels.

"To…I can't tell you yet…you will have to wait until the meeting with the pack this evening. Winston forbade me from telling anyone" Humphrey said, his ears flat against his head in a sign of apology.

"Null sweat, my friend. If Winston forbade it, then it must be really important. We will wait. But…how has it been going with the lady beside you? How is the life of a married wolf?" Salty asked, a sly grin on his face.

"I'll go to get some fresh air. Be right back" Kate said with a smile. After she was out of the den, Humphrey said:

"It is awesome. And this place we have gone to, served as our place for honeymoon too."

"Wait you mean you did it? With Kate? And Eve knows and you are still alive?" Mooch asked confused.

"Yeah…kind of…yeah, I did" Humphrey said with a big grin and deep blush on his face.

"Way to go, Humphrey" Salty said with a grin as the other two nodded in approval. Just then, Kate returned inside.

"Ummm…if you will excuse us, we have to go. We have some business to attend to. See you at the meeting Humphrey. Good to see you again Kate" Shakey said as he, Salty and Mooch left.

"Good to see you guys too. See you all at the meeting" Kate called behind them. After they were out of the den, she asked with a genuine smile:

"So, I suppose they asked you if you and I mate like Lilly asked me?"

"Yeah, they did…wait…Lilly asked such a question? I never thought her able to talk about such things…yet again Garth told me that he and Lilly already did it twice…" Humphrey said, sitting back down, with Kate beside him.

"Twice? I thought they did it once…it looks like this place has been a little more active in our absence" Kate said with a grin and she and Humphrey began laughing again. After a couple of minutes of laughing, Winston came in.

"How are you two doing?" he asked with a smile.

"We're fine. We talked with Humphrey's friends just a couple of minutes ago, but they already left to do something" Kate said with a smile.

"I came to let you know that the evening hunt ended and that everyone is at dinner. You two should join them and then, we will hold the meeting" Winston said with a tired face.

"Dad, is everything okay? You don't look too good…" Kate said, getting worried.

"I've been doing so many things these pas days, trying to prepare the pack for the attack and I haven't got much sleep…but I'll be fine" Winston said, his tired eyes looking at Kate. "Now, come with me to dinner. You must be starving. You haven't eaten anything all day." As if hearing Winston, Kate's stomach growled loudly and Humphrey looked surprised for a second.

"We are coming" he said with a smile and the three of them left the main den to go for the feeding grounds. The walk was quite short and enjoyable.

"So…did you prepare your speech?" Winston asked with a smile, turning to look at Humphrey.

"Yes and no…I know what to tell them for beginning, but what happens next depends on the reaction of the pack" Humphrey answered with a slight frown. Winston nodded and then said:

"Well, we will see what will happen indeed…but…just for good measure, do you have anything to convince them that you are what you are?"

"I don't know…but I'll do my best to convince them" Humphrey said with a confident smile. Then, the three of them went to the nearest carcass and began eating. The meat was still warm, since the hunt ended no longer than half an hour ago. Humphrey was surprised with his appetite. He almost ate an entire caribou leg and he was still hungry. He never in his life ate as much as he ate now and he seemed to be able to eat once with the Alphas, while the Omegas were still waiting for their turn to eat. When he was done eating, he waited for Kate and Winston to finish, before saying or doing anything else. When Kate and Winston finished, Winston said:

"Follow me. We need to be back at the main den before the meeting." They walked slowly towards the main den, Humphrey still thinking about what he will talk about. They reached the den and Winston said:

"I think the Omegas had enough time to eat. I'll call all of them now." He then howled so grave and deep that it could be heard across all the western grounds. In a matter of a couple of minutes, all the wolves were seated in rows as if someone indicated them their place. Up the ramp came Garth and Lilly.

"You like what I did to them? Thought them some discipline. It may come useful" Garth said to Winston as he looked over the wolves.

"It might. Well done. What is the report on the Omegas?" Winston asked.

"Most of them have learned quite quickly how to beat a wolf and they are pretty good at improvising" Garth said with a smile.

"So, they are ready for the battle to come?" Winston asked with a frown.

"I think they are. But not for a long battle. They don't have the stamina yet" Garth responded.

"Very well. Humphrey, I will announce the point of the meeting and then I will let you take over" Winston said towards him. Humphrey nodded and Winston cleared his throat and immediately the talking and murmurs subsided.

"Dear brothers from all across Jasper. This is an emergency meeting. I just found out yesterday morning that tomorrow or this night, we will be expecting an attack from the Wretches. You will all ask me now why I held this information from you. It was because we weren't ready. Not one of us. But I believe that we are now. My son-in-law, Humphrey, just returned from a very difficult journey this morning, along with my daughter Kate. This journey is important not only for him or for Kate, but for all the wolves of Jasper. I will let him now explain everything since he understands this matter better than anyone. Humphrey, if you will…" Humphrey got up and walked to the front of the den and looked upon all the wolves. He coughed once before he thought.

"Wolves from Jasper, I have to give all of you news, but I won't say it right away because some of you might be shocked and won't believe me. I understand from Winston that now all the wolves from Jasper are united in one pack under his guidance and that we are to remain united from now on. I will address now to the wolves of the original Western packs. This is not to be taken as an exclusion thing, but they will explain further if need be. Now, all of you that saw me before this journey remember how small, skinny and plain useless in combat I was, right? First things first, for those who don't know, I am an Omega. And now all of you see me here now, big and full of muscles, as my friends described me. But I found out some time ago that the biggest legend of the wolf kind is real. The Sentinels are real. The Wretches are real. Southern wolves, you know this better than anyone else. As I was saying, I found out I am a Sentinel who lost its memory. But I recovered all of it and I will now tell you all I know about the Sentinels, the Wretches and why they must be destroyed…" Humphrey said before a wolf from below spoke:

"Destroyed? Can't we just talk to them and avoid war?" Humphrey looked at him and said:

"I thought about this, but I don't think so. Let me explain. Three years ago, when I was just a cub, I lived in the pack of the Sentinels. To be more precise, I was the son of the leader. And it was a happy time that one. But, then the Wretches attacked with a massive army. They decimated all the Sentinels. Me and my father managed to run. He was a good friend of Winston who took me in. Before me and my father parted, he turned to fight twenty Wretches. Twenty at once. Southern wolves, how many have one of you fought at once? One? Maybe two? He told me before Winston took me away that I will one day see him again. That day was some weeks ago, when I was sent by Winston to complete my training as a Sentinel. That was the day I began remembering everything. That was the day I saw my father's grave. And that is not all. Kate stands witness for the almost mental breakdown I had when I saw it. However, that was a happy reunion to say so, because when I reached the main grounds of my former pack, I trembled in fear and fury. There were graves everywhere. Almost a couple hundred graves. All my pack was in front of me dead. Killed without the slightest mercy. The Wretches are merciless killers. In my training I learned that the Sentinels had a very important job. They had to maintain balance and help everyone. They had to use diplomacy before force and offer help before offering war. However, the Sentinels were declared war by the Wretches. So, I reason, if the Sentinels, the ones supposed to maintain the balance and help everyone, went at war with the Wretches, why do the Wretches deserve to live? You might say that this is no solid argument. But think at this? Will a member of the Wretches ever over you a second chance and forget everything? No, he will never do that. When the time comes, we will offer them peace. It is our moral duty. But make no mistake, they will attack. And the only way we can remain alive is to stand united. Because if we fall, Jasper falls. And if Jasper falls, the entire wolf nation is in danger. So here I am today…an Omega and a Sentinel, who managed to marry an Alpha, whose father-in-law managed to unite Jasper against one cause…and I am holding a speech about all of this. But I have only a simple question for all of you? Will you join the cause of the Sentinels and protect your homes, your families, your brothers and the entire wolf kind by fighting the Wretches and defeating them in this war that is soon to come, not started by us, but by them? Will you have the courage and determination to not give up when the time seems the darkest?" Just then, his eyes began glowing yellow and the light transformed around him, giving him a cloak of light. All the wolves looked at Humphrey transfixed with amazement. Humphrey looked at the wolves and asked them again:

"Are you ready to do what needs to be done in the darkest moments that will come? Don't forget, you have a Sentinel with you. And I will do my best to help all of you and keep all of you alive. I will put my life on the line for your lives, this I know for sure. But will you do the same? Will you put your lives on the line for your brothers?"

All wolves began cheering and howling in approval at his speech. Humphrey's cloak of light dissipated and his eyes returned to their normal color. Humphrey continued:

"I see that all of you here will be wolves that can be trusted not to run away when the time comes. For that, I want to thank all of you. May this war be short and may we be the victors" Humphrey added with a confident smile. Then he went and sat down beside Kate, who had tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay? Why are you crying?" Humphrey asked.

"Humphrey, look around you. Everyone is crying. Your speech was beautiful and it motivated everyone. Good job" Kate said between gasps for air. Humphrey licked her tears and calmed her down. Winston got up and spoke:

"Thank you Humphrey for sharing this with us. I am really sorry to hear the traumas you had to go through when you returned to the grounds of your pack. This sure shines a new light, quite literally on the situation at hand. My fellow wolves, we have a Sentinel sworn to protect us. And it is none other than Humphrey. I know for a fact that this wolf will never walk over a promise. He will hold a promise until his dying breath. So now all of you know the situation and I will tell you the strategy. We will divide into three groups. A main group of two hundred wolves. And two secondary groups of fifty wolves. The main group will meet the enemy head on when they will attack. One of the secondary groups will go behind enemy lines and cut reinforcements. The other one will flank the enemy wolves. The main group will be lead by Garth and Humphrey. The group to cut the reinforcements will be lead by me and Kate. The third group will be lead by Eve and Walter. Danny will take another group of three wolves with him and survey the battle, sending news when needed. This is the main plan. If any of the groups is broken, it will return and regroup with one of the other groups. If the main group falls, the flanking group will retreat and wait for survivors at the main grounds, where we will regroup into one group and make a last stand. If that falls and we are defeated, no wolf will be safe. Now, everyone go get some sleep. We have a war to end tomorrow. Dismissed." The wolves cheered one more time, before they got up and left for their dens, getting ready for the fight. Winston turned to Humphrey and said:

"That was a good and inspiring speech. And I am once again sorry for what you had to go through up until now, this time as a father-in-law, not as the pack leader." Winston gave Humphrey a hug and Humphrey said:

"Thanks, Winston. For everything…"

"No problem. Now go get some sleep. A fight awaits all of us tomorrow" Winston said with a smile as he and Eve went inside. The instant they were inside, Garth asked:

"You really had to go through all of that? It's insane. Sorry that you had to find everything out the hard way, brother…"

"Now it doesn't matter, Garth. All it matters now is to win this war and be alive to celebrate at the end of it. After all, I owe you a fight, don't I?" Humphrey said with a smile as he put a paw on Garth's shoulder. Garth smiled and said:

"You are right. Let's all get some rest. We will need it." They all nodded and Garth and Lilly left for their den, while Humphrey and Kate left for their den. They were walking slowly, their bodies touching and their tails intertwined. They walked in silence under the moon until they reached their den. Humphrey stopped and Kate looked at him confused.

"Kate, I want you to know that I promised your father, that no matter what hardship I will encounter in life, I will protect you, even if it means giving my life. I want you to know that I love you beyond measure and that I will always love you no matter what…"

"Humphrey, you know very well that I will do the same in a second. I love you with all my heart and you are the one and only for me. I will love you no matter what…" Kate answered kissing his cheek. Humphrey sighed and they went inside. Kate curled in a circle and Humphrey curled around her, holding her close with a paw and whispering in her ear:

"I will keep you safe" before he touched his nose with hers and then their foreheads.

"I know you will" Kate said with a smile before kissing him again. Then, she set her head down, but with an ear close to Humphrey's chest, so that she could hear his heart beating. It was the most soothing sound for her.

They fell asleep quite fast. The moon shined perfectly over the two sleeping forms, the hard dark form protecting the soft golden core like metal protects gold in the earth. The night was quiet, and the silence lingered…

**Aaand…scene. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was very long and took some time to write. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't and, I can't stress this enough, if you can, detail the review. Looking forward to reading them.**

**Until next time, LionPranskter, over and out.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi there guys and girls. This is the second retyping of this chapter. I find this one a little hard to write because of the way it will shape the story next… Basically, this chapter determines if the story has 20 chapters tops or 40-80 chapters… so it took quite a long time to put together. Thanks for the patience and for your awesome reviews on the previous chapter. And now, I hope you will enjoy :D**

**Chapter 14 – The Call of War**

A chilly breeze traveled over Jasper. The trees rustled with life. The sun shined his cold rays on the earth, over the grass and among the trees. No birds or insects were singing. It was an unusual calmness for this part of the year, as well and the unusual breeze that made the forest look eerie. Black grass moved along with the wind, dancing in its embrace.

A certain patch of black grass seemed to move over the rest of it. It got closer and closer to a den and disappeared inside.

"Sir, I have returned with news. The daughter of the leader has returned to the pack" the black patch of moving grass said. While talking, it barred its teeth and his red eyes shined in the dark. It was a black wolf.

"Very well. It looks like the time has come" the darkness from the end of the den said as it began moving. It seemed to uncoil itself like a snake, before a gigantic black wolf emerged. It walked past the smaller wolf and the cold breeze hit his face.

"Such a good day for hunting" he grunted with a touch of madness to his voice. He howled as strong as he could. The black grass began moving, teeth appearing. Small red dots, assembled in pairs emerged from behind the grass. Only it was no grass. It was the fur of the Wretched army. An army as mad as their leader, an army that just woke up. The gigantic black wolf looked around at the wolves waking up and said in a strong, commanding voice:

"Wake up, my children. The time has come. We will go hunting today and we shall rejoice in the blood of our enemies. Run like the wind, my children and destroy the enemy. Kill every one of them because today… Today. We. Hunt!"

The wolves around him began growling with impatience and the gigantic black wolf began laughing maniacally. He howled another feral howl and the wolves began moving like a sea of black among the trees. The hunt has begun.

**-on the western border-**

Humphrey suddenly opened his eyes. He felt uneasy. He felt like heavy eyes were watching him. And this could only mean one thing. Danger. He got to his feet swiftly, careful not to wake Kate yet, in case it was only a fake alarm. However, a second later he heard a feral howl coming from east, where the Southern territory was, compared with his position. That feral howl sent chills on his back and made his fur stand on end. A memory flashed before his eyes. It was a memory from the darkest day of his life. The day his pack died. He remembered hearing the same feral howl just before the attack.

Without a second to spare, he howled an alarm as clearly and as powerfully as he could. Then he waited a couple of seconds and repeated it. A more lower howl responded. It was Winstons. He got the message and the pack was awake and dividing in groups right now.

"Humphrey? What is wrong?" Kate asked awoken by his howl.

"The Wretches. They are coming" Humphrey said, worry in his eyes.

"We must sound the alarm" Kate said with urgency.

"Already did. Winston answered and the pack is awake and dividing right now" Humphrey said.

"Okay. We should be going too" Kate said nodding for herself.

"Right…just…" Humphrey said, something clearly bothering him.

"Humphrey? What's wrong?" Kate asked, now worried for him.

"Please be careful out there, okay? I will try to reason with the Wretches and avoid a war. But if the battle starts…Kate, I will never be able to go forward without you…I love you too much" Humphrey said, sadness in his eyes.

"Oh, Humphrey… You be careful out there too. I don't know what I would be doing without you either…But whatever will happen, at the end of this battle, we will win and we will survive" Kate said with a caring smile. Humphrey nodded, trying to be brave, but his feelings failing him.

"Now, let's go. They need us there…" Kate said giving him a deep kiss.

"Right" Humphrey said, ending the kiss with a smile as they began running at full speed, barely touching the earth. Minutes later, they saw Winston running through the trees with a quite big group of wolves behind him. Kate and Humphrey stopped in front of him and Winston said:

"Kate, Humphrey. Good morning."

"Good morning Winston. I see you got my alarm. Where are the others?" Humphrey asked with worry in his eyes.

"On the way to their places. You should go Humphrey, they are waiting" Winston said pointing somewhere east of where they were.

"Right…take care out there" Humphrey said nodding.

"You too, Humphrey" Winston said, giving him a hug. Humphrey hugged Kate one more time and whispered in her ear:

"Remember, I can feel if you are injured. If something happens and I can, I will come as fast as the wind. Be safe and don't be reckless…I love you…"

"I love you too and I will…" Kate said. Humphrey nodded and looked her in the eyes, before kissing her forehead. Kate blushed and he gave her his usual smile. Then he broke the hug, waved at the wolves behind Winston, took to the trees and in a couple of seconds was already on his way to the main group of their army.

"Okay. Let's move out. We must get to the lake" Winston said with determination as he and Kate started running, the wolves following them. Ten minutes later, they reached the lake and Winston said:

"Hide and wait for the three short howls. When we get them, Kate will confirm them and then we will begin our advance. Until then, keep low, hidden and quiet." He turned to Kate and said:

"How are you feeling?"

"To be completely blunt, scared. This is my first war, Humphrey, my Omega is on the front lines, we are doing a sneak attack and we are supposed to focus on our task. However, my thoughts seem to slip every moment to Humphrey…I am worried for him. He might be a Sentinel now, but that doesn't make him immortal or invincible…" Kate said with sadness.

"Don't worry, Kate. Humphrey can defend himself. After all, he took on Eve and he came out with no permanent damage. I don't think the enemy will be stronger than Eve is, at least in a one on one fight" Winston said with a confident smile.

"That's the problem…We think and we believe that the enemy is not stronger, but we forget a thing. We don't know anything about the enemy…not the tactics, not the numbers, not the abilities and I am positive that we know nothing about their way to fight. We are going blindly in a battle we don't know if we can win. They obliterated the Sentinels…and that was years ago…they are even stronger now, if we think about it" Kate said worried. Winston sighed. She made strong and correct points. Yet she was wrong about something.

"Kate…did you pay attention to what Humphrey said yesterday? He said that if we don't win, Jasper and all the other wolves out there are ruined. Yes, they killed the Sentinels, but the Sentinels were only a hundred, at most two hundreds of wolves, which were taken by surprise. And many were elders and pups. We are more and we are all fit to fight. Plus, we know the terrain, we are prepared and we have a plan. If ferocity isn't the way, the cunning, ambushes and constant attack will tire them down in the end and we will be able to win…things are not as grim as you think, honey" Winston explained while they were hidden behind a big stone, on the back of the lake. Kate looked at him, thinking about Humphreys speech and about what her father said. She came to the conclusion the he was right and that they could do this.

"You're right. Thanks dad" Kate said, hugging him. Winston hugged her too and added then:

"Let's focus now. We need to be ready when the signal is given."

**-meanwhile, with Humphrey-**

Humphrey was flying through the branches at great speed, looking around to spot Garth and his group. He spotted him in the end, close to the border, in a big clearing that led to the feeding grounds. He quietly landed beside Garth, startling him.

"Don't ever do that again" Garth said with a serious tone, with a paw on his chest.

"Sorry. What's the situation?" Humphrey asked.

"We are waiting for them to appear from the trees. This is the most direct route to the Southern territory. Eve is with the third group on out right, waiting for a long howl as their signal to attack. Winstons signal is three short howls. I have also sent a couple of scouts ahead which will give a short howl to signal the approach of the enemy. You are supposed to imitate the howl so Danny can relay it to the other two groups so that they can get ready. I think that is all…" Garth said giving him a hug. Humphrey was a little surprised, but returned it. Garth broke the hug soon and said:

"That was for luck, brother…and…just in case something happens…take care of Lilly for me, will you?"

"I will. You take care of Kate for me. And don't worry brother, we will come out of here alive" Humphrey said nodding with care in his eyes. Garth nodded too and Humphrey raised a paw to bump with Garth. Garth sighed and bumped his paw with Humphrey.

"Just for luck" Humphrey said with a grin. Garth grinned and said:

"Yeah, for luck."

Their little talk was interrupted by a short but strong howl. Humphrey instantly answered and, Dannys howl followed a second later.

"Get ready everyone!" Humphrey called, turning to look at the wolves behind him. They all barred their teeth and nodded.

Just then, the first black patches of fur moved out of the forest and into the clearing. There were many. And they were big. And they were ugly. Their leader, the gigantic black wolf was leading them. He spoke with insolence:

"Surrender now and we will kill you with mercy. Fight and we will bathe in your blood!"

Humphrey shouted with confidence:

"There will be no surrender on this side while I am alive. However, we could make peace. You could return to where you came from and keep out of this park, and we will avoid a war."

"You hear this, my children? They want peace. The prey wants peace" the gigantic black wolf called in a mocking tone, the wolves behind him laughing maniacally.

"Is it just me, or is he nuts?" Garth whispered to Humphrey. Humphrey didn't answer and called:

"Who do you think you are? We are not your prey."

"Who am I? Well, I suppose I could tell you since I will kill you anyway…I am Dominicus, and these are my children…now, prepare to die wolves. Hell has arrived!"

"I wouldn't be so sure" Humphrey called, his voice suddenly catching an eerie sound. Garth's fur began standing on end. He knew what was happening. Humphrey tried to scare the army away to avoid a war.

Dominicus, who had turned his back to Humphrey, turned around, confusion and hate in his eyes. He spoke:

"Who are you wolf? Have I met you before? Because you seem familiar…"

"You will remember soon enough. Now, leave Jasper" Humphrey said, his tone becoming more commanding and compelling with every word. Garth was now a little afraid of Humphrey. He heard many stories about Sentinels, but they were all myths to him. He didn't believe that someone could scare him just by speaking some words. But he calmed quickly, knowing that Humphrey was on their side.

"You filthy dog! You don't command me anything! My children, attack!" Dominicus called, hatred and madness clearly visible on his face.

"I guess it was worth a shot" Humphrey said with his voice returning to normal.

"Yeah…Please don't do that again either. It was kind of scary…and strangely compelling. But it was indeed worth a shot…" Garth said with an unsure smile.

"Sorry for scaring you…" Humphrey grinned. Garth just shook his head and saw that the enemy was approaching.

"You ready to get some action?" Garth asked, pointing with his nose to the enemy.

"Like never before. Just make sure to not stand in my way…I might do some crazy things and don't want to injure someone I shouldn't" Humphrey said, getting in a fighting position. Garth nodded and took a fighting position too.

**-on the Sentinel grounds-**

Sally's eyes shot open. She has had a vision. She walked outside in the cold sun and the chilly wind brushed her face.

"This is unusual…" she muttered as she felt the cold in the sun and in the air. She looked at the sun, trying to make sense of her vision. And she did so quickly. Only the information hit her like a log. She burst into tears and said:

"This can't be. So much blood…so much darkness…so much sorrow…"

However, she dried her tears and quickly went inside her den. There, she prepared a mixture that had a fluorescent green color. She put it on her claws and then prepared another one that was deep blue. This one she applied to her teeth. She destroyed the containers of the mixtures and then extinguished the magical fired she always kept on in her den. She then began running as fast as she could towards the Western pack.

"This can't be happening so soon. I must stop it…" she said just before she disappeared among the trees.

All around Jasper, the silence was existent. All nerves were on end. Two wolf armies were just about to trade the first blows and by this to decide the faith of Jasper and all the other wolves. The war has begun.

**Aaaaaand…scene. That's it guys and girls. The last chapter before the fighting starts. I hope you enjoyed. I know it was a little short, but it is the plot that requires it. Tell me what you liked, tell me what you didn't. Detail your reviews if possible. I am looking forward to reading them :D**

**Until next time, LionPranskter, over and out.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys and girls, I am back once again and I bring with me a chapter packed with action. Thank you for the kind review on the last chapter. I feel like I forgot to mention something there, but just to make things clear for the ones in doubt. Dominicus is not really the father of all the Wretches in that army…he is their leader and sees them as his minions…because he is a little too nuts for this world. A minor heads-up: This chapter will be quite bloody and long, so prepare for it. It needed to be cleared up so that we are all on the same page. Oh, and it took me a lot of time to write it, but I hope it was worth the effort. And now, enjoy :D**

**Chapter 15 – Behind Enemy Lines**

The sun shone brightly but coldly over a certain big clearing in Jasper. The wind was still cold and bitter if you hadn't any fur.

In the clearing, a swarm of black wolves was running towards what seemed a barrier of wolves with a pointy end. The pointy end of the barrier was none other than Humphrey, with Garth just beside him.

"Get ready" Humphrey said as he tensed all his muscles. He almost felt Garth's muscles tensing too as they prepared to hit the tide of black wolves attacking them. Every sound seemed to die as Humphrey focused only at the wolves before him. In his mind, he already saw a path among them. Their movement resembled that chaotic movement of branches during a storm. A movement he learnt how to navigate and predict by his tree-climbing training. He smiled, barring his teeth and when the Wretches were close enough, he jumped high in the air. He landed between two black wolves, which he cut almost in half on his way down. In that time, the battle began behind him. Wolves attacked wolves and Garth fought with all his might, taking on five or six Wretches at a time. Humphrey jumped again and helped Garth, before calling:

"Let's team up and push them back." Garth nodded and Humphrey jumped once again, higher this time, to check for any remaining Wretches between the tress. None were left there. He howled three short howls. A couple of seconds later, he heard Danny howling three short howls, confirming the message. Humphrey landed between Wretches and began a deadly dance and exchange of blows. He dodged all the blows that came towards him, blocking some of them with a well-placed paw and hitting back with his hind legs, cutting deep slashes in his enemies. However, the wolves just attacked again, despite their wounds. Humphrey said:

"This isn't working…any ideas?"

"Yeah…cut their heads. They can't fight heedlessly for sure" Garth said laughing. Humphrey shook his head. It was a stupid idea, even though it made sense. None the less, he gave it a shot. With a well-timed paw, he cut clean the head of a Wretched, who instantly dropped to the ground, unmoving and in a puddle of slightly blacker blood. Garth was wide-eyed and said:

"Well, I can't believe that actually worked…let's tell the others." Humphrey nodded and began jumping from enemy to enemy to reach the other wolves. He managed to reach the rest of the pack and said as loud as he could:

"Cut their heads! It's the only way!" When the pack heard this new information, they fought with new hope, even if they were outnumbered two or three to one. Humphrey gave a long howl to signal the flanking team to attack. Danny responded in a couple of seconds, confirming the request. Humphrey then jumped back into the battle. He killed several enemies in his way to Garth, who had five enemies on him, slashing at him. Even so, he was still alive and fighting. Humphrey jumped to the nearest Wretch and in one fluid motion sent him into two others that were over Garth. The other two wolves turned to attack Humphrey, but Garth killed one of them with a well-placed bite and turn and Humphrey got the other one with a paw strike just below his head.

"Garth, are you okay?" Humphrey asked, helping him up.

"Only some deep slashes here and there and a couple of bruises. Nothing too serious" Garth said wincing as Humphrey accidentally brushed his paw over a couple of slashes. Humphrey saw he had troubles breathing and suspected some more serious injuries.

"I called for the flank. They should arrive soon. Go to them and tell them to cut the heads of. Then go to the pack healer. This cuts will surely get infected if you don't act fast" Humphrey said, examining him.

"I'll be okay" Garth said stubbornly, trying to keep a steady breathing pace. When he looked at Humphrey though, he saw in his eyes care and stress. The same kind of stress and care he saw in Winston's eyes when he made decisions for the pack.

"You can't be serious. I won't leave you here to take all of this on you. It's too much, even for a Sentinel" Garth protested as Humphrey deflected a couple of blows and killed another Wretched.

"Garth, don't be a stubborn moose and listen to me for one damned second. If you don't go now, you will lose too much blood and you will die. Then Lilly won't have anyone. Think about that for a second"

"And if you take all of this on you, Kate won't have a mate and will be all alone" Garth retorted, his eyes becoming wet.

"Garth, please don't make it this way. You are the one injured now. And it is my duty to keep this pack safe…please, just do what I told you" Humphrey said serious, pointing to the battle around him. He then saw concern and understanding washing over Garths eyes. Garth nodded and began running. Humphrey covered him, slashing at any Wretched that tried to stop Garth. When Garth was outside the area of battle, Humphrey returned once again to the battle and helped the other wolves in the group he was leading. Just then he heard growling coming from somewhere among the trees and saw Eve and Walter leading a charge against the Wretches. They managed to take them by surprise as the Wretches were now forced to fight on two fronts. Humphrey grinned with his now bloody muzzle from the Wretches he had killed and once again jumped into the battle. He killed Wretches left, right and center, a small team of wolves assembling behind him. They formed the spear and Humphrey was the spearhead.

Time seemed to slow down for Humphrey and sound seemed to fade as the moves of blocking and attacking became reflexes. He closed his eyes, completely baffled by the new experience. With his eyes closed he could see another battle, but it wasn't his. He could see Winston taking on two Wretches at once. He could see other Wretches attacking from the trees. He could see wolves dying on both sides. He then felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder.

Humphrey opened his eyes and checked his shoulder, but it was fine. Than it dawned on him. Kate had been injured. He turned sharply so that he could reach the place where Eve and Walter were fighting. The wolves behind him broke in two and a smaller group followed Humphrey, while the other one continued forward.

When they finally reached the place where Eve and Walter fought, Humphrey said:

"Keep them at bay a couple of minutes. I need to talk with Eve." The wolves behind him spread out and took on all the wolves Eve and Walter were fighting. Eve stopped to take a couple of breaths and then said:

"Thanks for the save."

"No problem. Listen, I need to go and help Winston and Kate. They are in trouble" Humphrey said with worry in his eyes. At the sound of Winston's and Kate's name, Eve began growling and said:

"What happened?"

"I can feel if Kate is injured and she has her left shoulder badly injured. Not sure about Winston. I suppose Garth told you about how to kill them."

"He did" Walter said nodding.

"I'll have to let you take it over from here. I need to hurry. If night falls and the fight is not over, retreat and regroup. I will try and come help with the rest of the third group" Humphrey said as he prepared to run towards the forest.

"Just make sure the ones that hurt Kate are as dead as possible" Eve said with a sharp nod. Humphrey nodded and then ran as fast as he could to get to Winston and Kate.

**-at the start of the battle, with Winston and Kate-**

A short howl was heard across the third group that remained hidden by the lake. Winston looked up and said:

"Everyone get ready. We will move out soon." They waited for just another couple of minutes before they heard three short howls. Kate howled three short howls and Winston got up and said:

"Okay everyone. Move out." The group got out from their hiding spots and began running as fast as they could towards the Southern territory. On the way, it was very quiet, except for the sounds made by their movement.

"I don't like this" Kate said, turning her head to her father.

"Me neither…" he said and they kept running. They were almost into the Southern territory when they heard movement ahead. Winston stopped and said:

"Everyone hide. We are ambushing them." In the next seconds, Kate jumped high in a tree and then waited. The sounds were getting louder and she could hear wolves growling. Then, the first dark wolves appeared from the forest. The second she saw them, she got in position to pounce. When they were just under her, she called:

"Attack!"

From the bushes around the place, wolves jumped on enemies and began clawing and biting away at them. The Wretches, although a little surprised by the attack, hit back with tremendous ferocity.

Kate jumped on the back of an enemy and punctured his neck with her fangs. Then she left go, blood pouring from her mouth and the neck of the enemy and jumped on another one and repeated.

Winston was battling two Wretches at once. He managed to jump on the back of one and to injure its shoulder, before he lost his balance and rolled away from the danger. Just then, Wretched began attacking from the trees. They jumped on the unsuspecting group. Two pinned Winston but he managed to escape. He then began fighting both of them as well as he could. Then he heard a scream split the sky. He turned to see a Wretched with his teeth in Kate's shoulder. Kate screamed in pain and jumped with the Wretched still on her shoulder. In the air, she cut his head with a kick from her back paw. The pressure left the bite and the head fell at the same time with the body. But when she landed, she barely stood. She kept fighting though, as best as she could. She could feel herself getting tired and she could also feel Humphrey getting closer. He knew she was injured and was coming to help her.

However, her attention being distracted for the slightest of seconds, she quickly got surrounded by the Wretches and knocked out. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Just when one of the enemies was about to take the final hit, one of the Wretches stopped him. It was the scout that Dominicus sent to spy on the state of the allied army.

"Wait…boss said he wanted this one as alive as he could get. Carry her back to the camp." The other Wretches nodded and five of them dragged Kate deep in the forest. Winton saw everything and called:

"You monsters leave my daughter alone!" He tried to jump after her, but he was unable to. He looked around him and saw that most of his group was either dead or gravely injured. Only half of the group remained alive. The Wretched however, were all alive, except the one without head. Injured or not, they were alive and cornered Winston and his group.

"This is not real. What are you? Why aren't you dead? All of you are gravely injured…why won't you die?" one of Winston's wolves asked.

"You dogs will never understand the power of a true predator. We can't die. No prey can kill us" one of the Wretched said with a wild snarl.

"What?" Winston asked confused.

"Get them!" another Wretched called. Then the fight broke again. Just then, a bluish blur mover around the Wretches in quick circles. It was faster than the eyes could follow. Every time it completed a rotation, one Wretched fell headless on the ground, blood painting it. When only two or three Wretched remained, the blur came to a stop. It was Humphrey. And he was angry. He growled so loud that he scared even his group. Humphrey hit all the other three opponents across the chest and they fell to the ground because of the force of the blow.

"No...this is not possible. This is not real…" Winston said as the struck-down opponents got up, all bloody, with an empty look in their eyes.

"We will be slaughtered. We got no chance…" Winston began saying in a hurt tone as if he was going to cry and faint.

"Winston, look at me" Humphrey called as he quickly took down the three opponents that just got up, by cutting their heads of clean with his claws.

"No chance…slaughter…we will all die…this was foolish" Winston kept mumbling, with his paws on his face. The rest of his team looked at him with incredulity.

"Winston, look at me" Humphrey called as he got closer to him, a stern look on his face. Winston raised his head and looked at Humphrey.

"Humphrey, there is no chance. No escape…we will die…we must flee…" he said looking around at the other wolves.

"Winston, shut up and look at me, for crying out loud" Humphrey said, fury beginning to boil deep in him. He could no longer sense Kate's presence and he feared for the worst.

Winston raised his eyes again and focused on Humphrey. Humphrey looked deep in Winston's eyes and saw fear. True fear. He realized Winston was having a mental breakdown. He couldn't take the pressure anymore.

"Tell me Winston, what do you see when you look at me? You see a wolf that is fighting a war, you see the mate of your daughter, you see the last living Sentinel. But do you see me? Look at me and tell me what you see…" Humphrey said as he sat down beside Winston.

Winston looked at him from head to tail and said:

"I see a Humphrey that fights…a Sentinel and a true mate…"

Humphrey shook his head and said:

"Winston, listen to what you are saying. That is not me. You only see my outside, but none of my inside. Inside I am a hurt wolf. I lost my pack…I lost my dad…I lost my mom…I lost all my friends…I lost any trace of memory of them until only not so long ago…I lost my place beside my father, I lost love. Then I felt pain and grief bigger than you can ever imagine when I saw all the graves of each and every member of my pack. I felt almost like I was about to faint while I wrote on each grave a last goodbye. You might not believe me, but Kate was there. I went from a happy and careless wolf to being a one in a million wolf which is lucky enough to be a Sentinel and have a mate that can pull him from the deepest darkness back to the suraface…Winston…look me dead in the eyes and tell me that there is absolutely no chance in the world that we will succeed and that we will defeat these…these…monsters."

All the wolves that were in the clearing could feel the tension in the air. All of them knew what the Sentinel had been through. He told them once before. And all of them wanted before Humphrey's speech, to become a Sentinel one day. But such pain, such grief, such determination…they no longer wanted to be one, but to follow one.

Winston looked straight in Humphrey's eyes and saw no anger towards him. Instead he saw love, hope courage and faith. He studied Humphrey again. All his body expressed confidence and courage. He looked at the wolves that lied dead in front of him, Wretches and brothers alike. He turned again to Humphrey and said:

"You are right…we must fight…If we don't do this, no one will…and there won't be any other living amount of wolves to stop them…I am sorry for what I said and how I acted…I am a coward after all…"

"A coward no…but you are afraid…afraid of the unknown…as each and every other living thing is…but if we don't face this, no one will and we will all perish. We must fight or face our damnation. There is no longer a choice. Now get up, prepare the wolves and let's go. We have a job to do and a war to win" Humphrey said helping him up with a confident smile. Winston got up and said in a commanding voice:

"Alright wolves. You heard him. Let's go. We have a job to do. We need to protect our youngsters, our families and our territory. Move out!"

All the wolves stood at attention and were just about to start towards their home since they managed to cut off reinforcements, but Humphrey stopped them.

"Where is Kate?" he asked with worry in his eyes. He saw the ears of the wolves around him beginning to go flat against their heads as their eyes all said a mute message. Humphrey turned his face at Winston who had a conflicted expression on his face. He was angry, but also caring. He was defeated but also relentless.

"Winston, where is Kate?" Humphrey asked again, hoping for an answer. Winston sighed and said:

"Just before you arrived, a group of Wretched jumped us from the trees. They managed to knock out Kate. They dragged her with them towards the South. I am sorry, Humphrey. I tried to stop them, but I was pinned down. And then all the enemies got back up again. All except the one Kate killed by cutting his head…" Humphrey's eyes began to fill with tears but he nodded and said:

"I…I understand…Keep in mind to cut their heads. Join the other two groups. They managed to break their ranks last time I saw them. The flank got them unprepared. They have order to retreat at dawn. Go now…Eve will explain the rest…"

"Wait…aren't you coming?" Winston asked with a confused expression. He looked Humphrey dead in the eyes and saw anger boiling in them.

"Winston, this war is no longer a pack thing. It has become personal the moment they attacked Kate. I will end them…all of them. You hold the line while I delete them from the face of Jasper. I swear this on my life" Humphrey said, his eyes glowing golden, his voice transforming and his body beginning to glow. The wolves around him stared in awe and fear. Winston nodded, got closer to Humphrey and gave him a hug.

"Be careful out there, son" he said with a couple of tears escaping his eyes.

"You guys better be there when I return" Humphrey said hugging Winston too.

"We will…" Winston said as they parted. Humphrey nodded, returned to normal, except his eyes and took to the trees. Winston turned back to the wolves and said:

"Okay everyone, you heard the Sentinel. Let's go hold the line until he returns or does something about it. Move out!" And with that, they started their run back to the main grounds where the battle was.

**-at the battle start, with Sally-**

Sally ran as fast as she could and found herself close to the border of the Winston's pack. She pushed herself even faster and reached the area where the main den was in just ten minutes. She heard strange screaming coming from one of the dens, so she hurried that way. When she got to the den, she saw two wolves: one injured and one caring for him.

"Just stop moving, Garth. I need to put your ribs back in place" Barbara, the pack healer said.

"What's going on here?" Sally asked confused as to why these two wolves weren't in the fight. Barbara and Garth turned to see her and Garth asked:

"Who are you and what are you doing here? Are you with the Wretched?"

"I am Sally. I trained Humphrey and I came here at his request to help in the war. What are you doing here and why aren't you two fighting the Wretches right now?" Sally asked.

"Garth broke some ribs and Humphrey sent him to me" Barbara said. Sally nodded and said:

"Get out of the way. I am also a healer and I think I can heal him faster."

"How could you possibly heal his ribs which are broken?" Barbara asked.

"What's your name?" Sally asked Barbara.

"Barbara and I am the pack healer" she answered full of pride.

"Well, Barbara I am a wolf witch and I think I can heal him. Now move aside, please" Sally said serious. Barbara, now wide-eyed, moved aside and let Sally have a look at Garth.

"This will hurt like hell" Sally said with a grin. Garth sighed and closed his eyes. Sally put her paw on Garth's chest and concentrated. Then she began humming a song. After some seconds, mist started coming out of her fur. Her paw glowed with a bluish color. She then opened her eyes which were also glowing with a bluish color. She began chanting something in a very deep voice. The mist began moving around the air and curling on Garth's body. Garth began screaming, as under his skin, the broken ribs began moving back into place. Sally kept chanting until all the mist was now covering Garth's chest. Then, she closed her eyes and opened them only to be again normal. Garth stopped screaming and got up, his ribs no longer hurting him.

"Thanks Sally" he said.

"Okay, now back to the fight. Where is it at?" Sally asked with serious eyes.

"I'll take you there. Remember to cut off their heads. It's the only thing that works" Garth said. Sally nodded and then turned to Barbara.

"You come too. We need to take care of the injured there, on the battlefield." Barbara nodded and the three of them began running towards the battle. In a couple of seconds, they reached the ground of battle. It was not going too well for either side. There were a lot of injured wolves and even more dead ones.

"We must help them" Sally said towards Barbara and the two of them ran behind the lines to take the wounded some distance away so that they were safe.

Garth looked at the battlefield and saw Eve and Walter fighting side by side in a circle. He began running and cutting his way through the enemies. He reached them and began fighting along them.

"What's the situation?" Garth asked with a stern look.

"We managed to keep them at bay for now" Walter said.

"Where's Lilly?" Garth asked.

"Last time I saw her, she was in a group, picking at the Wretched that were alone" Eve said.

"Where's Humphrey?" Garth asked once again, looking around this time.

"He went to save Kate I think. He said she was injured" Walter said.

"What? Winston's group is in trouble?" Garth asked confused.

"Last time we heard, yes" Walter said while killing a Wretched. Just then, they heard a howl from south. All fighting stopped only for Eve and Garth to see Winston running at full speed, fangs parted and anger on his face. Twenty other wolves followed him. None of them was Humphrey or Kate. The Wretched were now forced to fight on three fronts and were completely surrounded. Winston began slashing heads as well as he could, until he reached the place where Eve, Walter and Garth were fighting.

"Good to see you are okay" Eve said with a smile, the other two nodding.

"All thanks to Humphrey" Winston said.

"Where is he? We could use him here…" Garth asked fighting two Wretched at the same time.

"Kate got dragged in the forest, unconscious and injured, by five Wretched. Humphrey went after them" Winston said.

"We have to go help him" Eve said.

"I agree" Winston said as he turned to Walter and Garth. "You two take the lead. Retreat at dawn and regroup, if we are not back by then" he said. Both Garth and Walter nodded and Winston and Eve fought their way outside of the battle, towards south.

**-with Kate, somewhere in the south-**

"Set her down here" the scout said with a grin and the five Wretched put Kate down and stepped a couple of feet away.

"Now, let's see why the boss wants you, little lady, alive?" the scout continued as he moved around her, sniffing and trying to understand everything about her.

Kate regained her consciousness, but felt something was wrong and didn't open her eyes. It was just in time to hear the wolf mumbling on his own about his boss. She could feel his breath on her face as he sniffed her. When she was sure he was as close as possible, she opened her eyes and her head bit in his throat.

"What the…!?" the scout called as Kate missed by a couple of inches.

"Damn…" Kate mumbled, furious that she missed.

"Well, what do we have here? A wonderful tail, lovely ass, even more lovely body…I think that the boss will make a very nice and obedient mate out of you. And such spirit and courage. A fighter to the end" the scout mocked with a big grin.

"Why am I here?" Kate asked confused as to why she wasn't already dead and also trying to buy time for Humphrey to reach her.

"You are going to become boss's mate. But first, we will have a go. If he suspects anything, we will tell him that your mate did it before the fight" the scout said with a malevolent smile as the other five Wretched approached.

"Are you for serious? You are going to make your boss think that my mate raped me? You are even more nuts than I thought…" Kate mocked too.

"Temper, temper…boss will teach you to mind your own business" the scout said, slapping her across the face and leaving three deep marks that started to bleed. He then turned his back to the other wolves and said:

"Well, my brothers, today we are in luck. We have a nice piece of tail that needs testing so we know boss is safe" the scout said, with a wide grin on his face. The other wolves smiled evilly and growled happily. However, a second later, the head of the scout fell to the ground, with the smile still on his face. The wolves looked behind him to see Kate on her feet, with her body in defensive position.

"I am not a piece of tail that needs to be tested" she said calmly, anger in her voice. The other five Wretched looked at one another and then attacked Kate. The first couple of strikes hit her unprepared, causing her great pain. But she managed to dodge the third hit and counter it, killing the dealer in the process. Then, her mind eased, going back to her training with Humphrey. The blows began flowing like a dance. She did nothing for her defense, going with everything she got on offense. For each kill, she received a blow but she didn't stop. 'I am the mate of the Sentinel and I must not fall and fail him' she kept repeating to herself as she ended the last wolf. She looked at the massacre and winced at her pain. She fell to the ground, not able to stand anymore. She put her head on her paws and tears began falling from her eyes. She was alone and gravely injured. She may have killed her capturers, but she will not resist too long. Her vision began fading to black as she said:

"I am sorry, Humphrey. I failed you…"

**Aaaaand…scene. I decided to end this chapter here. It felt appropriate. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't, especially when it comes to the emotions. I will look forward to the reviews and to your opinions on what will happen next. **

**Until next time, LionPranskter, over and out.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey there guys and girls. Welcome back to another chapter in this story. I know this chapter has been expected quite a lot and I finally managed to complete it. I hope it will meet the high expectations that you expressed in the reviews, for which I want to thank you. Some of you also posted some theories and ideas. These ones are awesome, but some of them wouldn't fit the ideas I have in mind. You will see what I mean in this chapter, so better dig in. Enjoy :D**

**Chapter 16 – Depth of Darkness**

A quiet and cold breeze ran through the trees in a small clearing. The leaves barely moved and there was no sign of life around.

A bluish-gray wolf landed from a tree on his paws in the clearing. It started sniffing the ground, searching for a smell. Even though there was no sun visible in the clearing, his fur still seemed to give a faint lighting to the clearing. Suddenly, his ears perked up as he muttered under his breath:

"Got it." He started running again, deeper through the forest, alert to any sign of the Wretched.

"Don't worry, Kate. I am coming" Humphrey said as he once again jumped on a branch and begun using the trees as his trail. He slipped into that state where every move became instinctual, focusing more on his thoughts now. He didn't have any time to loose and he could not stop worrying about his mate. She has been captured by the Wretched and he didn't want to think at what they could do to her. And he could also imagine what he would do to those that wanted to hurt her.

As he was deep in thought and worry, a sudden headache took him by surprise. It was so intense, the he almost blacked out. When he opened his eyes again, he was still running through the trees, but could hear some sounds ahead and it didn't sound too good. There was a wolf screaming and several growls. He recognized the scream in a second, so he quickened his pace, worry once again present in his mind. He jumped from the last branch of a tree to the ground, only to reach another clearing. What he saw almost made him throw up. There were six Wretched dead in a circle with a mangled and unrecognizable body between all of them. The body was all bloody and torn, but what was the real shock, was that it had golden fur.

"No…no…no…" Humphrey mumbled under his breath. He jumped from the branch on the ground, among the dead Wretched. With slow but steady steps, he reached the body. He put his nose near the body and smelled it, taking in the smell.

"This is not possible…" Humphrey said as tears began forming in his eyes, shock hitting him. There was only one wolf that had that smell and that wolf was his mate. His body dropped to the ground, unable to move from the sudden scene and the shock, just beside the mangled body. He put his head on the bloody fur and started crying. Only agonizing thoughts began showing in his mind. He didn't want to fight anymore. He had no reason to fight anymore. His mate was dead. The pack was probably being slaughtered right in that moment. He would never see her or them again. He would never see his pups. He will never be able to face Winston or Eve ever again. And it was all his fault. If only he was faster, stronger, braver. He might have been able to save her. He might have got one more chance to hug her, to tell her how much he loved her, one more chance to feel her fur and her body against his body…

His head shot right up, tears stopping. He touched the fur again. Then he smiled, the state of shock dying in an instant. It didn't feel like Kate's fur. It was coarser and smaller. He then looked around the clearing. He saw that the wind changed direction, but the trees didn't move at all. His smile grew as he called:

"Dominicus, get the hell out from my mind!" He then calmly closed his eyes and opened them. The clearing was still there, but there were no bodies, no smell, no wind, no blood. Only a very big, black wolf, lying on the ground, with his eyes closed. The wolf opened his eyes and began taking big gulps of air. He was tired from the mental effort. Humphrey sat down and looked at him, anger in his eyes. He wanted to kill him, but couldn't attack someone who couldn't defend himself. It was not in his nature. After Dominicus took some breaths, he said:

"I see you broke out from the dream…you are stronger than I suspected. And from me to suppose I could defeat you so easily was foolish…"

"It was foolish. Now surrender. Leave this territory, leave Jasper and never return. It is your last and only chance to live" Humphrey said, his voice controlled and his face stern. His eyes were piercing through Dominicus's soul and Dominicus could feel it.

Dominicus shook his head and began laughing a mad laugh. Humphrey wasn't surprised. He already knew that Dominicus was crazy and bitter, but he never suspected how crazy he was.

"Even though you broke the dream, I didn't lie. Your mate is dying, if not dead already. She might have killed her capturers, but was gravely injured in the process. That dream will turn real, sooner or later. But I will be a kind wolf, something I haven't been in a long time. I will allow you to see your mate sooner than you expected…" Dominicus said as he got up and begun circling Humphrey.

"So, tell me Sentinel. Are you ready to see your mate? Are you ready to die?" Dominicus asked as he turned to face Humphrey, a feral snarl plastered on his face. Humphrey didn't move a muscle. His face was still stern, his eyes still angry, his voice still controlled.

"Dominicus, don't be a fool. Do you really want to die? Call off your army and return to your personal hell-hole. I won't hunt you down" Humphrey said, eyeing him.

"Me? Die? You are crazier than I am" Dominicus said laughing, before he lunged at Humphrey, with a paw raised to hit him across the head. However, the moment the hit landed, it struck pure light. Humphrey's entire body was covered in light, forming a protective barrier around him, under the shape of a coat. His eyes were golden, emanating light, something that never happened before.

"Stop" Humphrey's controlled voice said and the paw stopped where it was, unable to move.

"What? What the hell did you do to me? I can't move my paw" Dominicus said angrily.

"I stopped your paw, of course" Humphrey said. "And now, you are going to listen. You are going to leave Jasper, along with your Wretched and never return. Do you understand?" Humphrey continued, his voice booming in Dominicus's ears like thunder.

"You are not the boss of me. You are not the real Sentinel. This is a dream" Dominicus said, pointing at the Humphrey, closing his eyes, only to open them again and see Humphrey there, smiling, no light shining around him.

"When did you begin the dream?" Dominicus asked confused as to what just happened to him and surprised that he didn't feel the start of it.

"When I ended yours" Humphrey said getting up and taking a fighting position.

"You little snitch! You will die for making a fool out of me!" Dominicus growled, his eyes turning red and the fur on his back raising. He lunged at Humphrey again, this time with all the force he had. But Humphrey was ready. He deflected the attack and countered it. It happened in a blink of an eye and Dominicus was on the ground.

"That was the last straw" Dominicus said between his teeth as the darkness and shadows of the forest began enveloping his body. He got up and attacked again, this time hitting Humphrey, who was astounded at how fast Dominicus became. He tripled his speed and bit into Humphrey's shoulder. He tore some fur off, but not enough for that wound to be a danger in a fight. When he landed on the ground again, he spit the bloody fur from his mouth and snarled at Humphrey:

"You will not win this Sentinel. You. Are. Dead." Then he attacked again. Humphrey prepared a counter and repelled the attack, moving with great speed. He could match Dominicus's speed and could repel his attacks, but not for long. He had to defeat him. And fast.

When the next hit came, Humphrey dodged and with a paw, he cut Dominicus's belly. When he looked at his paw, however, he saw no blood.

"Fool. I can't be injured in the shadows. I can't die" Dominicus said laughing maniacally. Humphrey shook his head and began running. He had some form of a plan, but he needed to draw Dominicus somewhere else.

"You can't run from me, silly Sentinel" Dominicus said, giving chase. They ran through the forest for several minutes until Humphrey seemed to slow down. Dominicus slowed down too, being careful this time. He couldn't get injured from wolf attacks, but something else could injure him. None the less, when he reached Humphrey, he attacked again, catching Humphrey by surprise and landing on one of his paws, breaking his leg.

"There is nowhere to run now, Sentinel" Dominicus said, as he spat the last world. Humphrey growled in pain as he tried to move the leg, but found that he couldn't do so. Instead, he jumped in the air as high as he could, trying to put some distance between him and Dominicus. But Dominicus attacked again, cutting him across the face and back. The slashes were big and blood began dripping from them. Humphrey kept jumping again and again, putting more and more distance between him and Dominicus, until the two of them reached a very steep hill.

Humphrey recognized the hill as his sledging hill and then the completed plan formed before his eyes. He jumped in a tree and made no sound as Dominicus caught up with him. Dominicus looked around but didn't see him and stopped right under the tree. That was what Humphrey was waiting for. This was the tree with the fake bark piece that he used as a sled. He jumped from the tree, grabbing the sledge in the air and then got on it. He pushed himself and knocked over Dominicus, who was taken by surprise and was stunned for a moment. Then he turned to see Humphrey behind him and began slashing at him. Humphrey tried his best to protect himself, blocking and dodging as he also tried to direct the sledge towards the lake. He also let several hits touch him so the he would keep Dominicus busy and unknowing of his plan.

When they were a couple of seconds away from the lake, Humphrey grabbed Dominicus's paws and held him as good as he could, so that he couldn't jump away. Then they hit the water and went under it.

The instant the water touched them, Dominicus tried to free himself and go to the surface, but Humphrey didn't let him. That's when it dawned on Dominicus that Humphrey figured his tricks out. They were going to drown. He fought Humphrey again, but Humphrey's grip was adamant and his face fierce.

Dominicus began feeling the pressure compressing him as they fell deeper and deeper under water. Humphrey also felt it, but he did so much training in water that he knew how to force his lungs and blood to pump. His eyes shined golden and he put his forehead on Dominicus forehead. Dominicus was taken by surprise, until he heard Humphrey's thoughts.

_'This is your end. And know this. I was telling the truth. I would have let all of you just leave. And I didn't make any dream. I have no idea how to do that. It was all real. Farewell, Dominicus.'_

Dominicus was so taken by surprise by this realization that he dropped his guard and the shadows and darkness left him. That's when Humphrey hit him, cutting his head.

Humphrey felt the body in his arms melting away, turning to dust. He blinked once and then began swimming to the surface. When he reached it, he got out of the water and shook his body. He had deep slashes on his body and blood began dripping once again. He had a limp on his right leg and his left shoulder was injured. But he was alive and could walk with difficulty.

He got up and began walking towards the fighting grounds. He was going to go find Kate and, since the scent he picked up earlier took him to the south, the shortest way was through the fighting grounds. So he started his limping walk to the fighting grounds.

**-meanwhile, with Winston and Eve-**

"Isn't that Humphrey over there?" Eve asked pointing at a wolf fighting a monster of a Wretched.

"It is. And he looks in trouble. We should go help" Winston said, starting that way.

"No" Eve said with a stern look.

"What? Are you mad? He is your son-in-law. We must help him" Winston argued, anger in his voice.

"Think, my dear mate. Would Humphrey want us to help him, or would he want us to help Kate and bring her back to him?" Eve asked, looking at Humphrey. Winston thought for a second and then nodded.

"You are right. Humphrey would do anything for Kate. We have to go find her."

"Right" Eve concluded and they began running again through the forest, leaving Humphrey to fight as they searched for his mate and their daughter.

They soon reached a rather large clearing and saw several dead Wretched around. That's when they saw Kate. She was bloody under a tree, her face wet from tears.

"Kate" Eve called at her, but got no response.

"Oh no…" Winston said as he got closer. Eve was right beside him. She put her paw on Kate's neck and said:

"She has a pulse. I think she is in a coma."

"Will she live?" Winston said with a tear visible in his left eye.

"I can't tell" Eve said tears falling from her eyes. Winston nodded, understanding the situation. He sighed and said:

"Let's bring her back to the pack. Maybe Barbara can help her. Put her on my back."

After five minutes of trying and succeeding in the end to put Kate on Winston's back, they started walking back to the pack. While walking, Eve kept mumbling to herself:

"Kate, why did you do this? Why did you have to be the one to get injured? Why you, Kate? Why?"

Winston heard every word of it, but didn't say anything. It was better to let Eve deal with it her own way, as he learnt through the years living with her and being her mate

**-meanwhile, with Garth and Walter-**

"Garth, I don't think this is working" Walter said as their small team which they lead around the battlefield got surrounded.

"We must fight our way out" a bloody Garth said as he attacked. The small team followed him, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the Wretched. Just then, a white wolf jumped and began attacking the Wretched. Garth was with his mouth open, not believing his eyes.

"Lilly?" he said after all the Wretched were dead around their team.

"In person" the white wolf known as Lilly said, nuzzling his back.

"Remind me to never get on your angry side" Garth said joking , as he nuzzled her too.

"Looks like you have something from your mother after all" Walter said chuckling at the display of courage that just took place. Lilly laughed and blushed, before Garth interrupted the scene with a warning:

"We better return to the fight. It looks like the pack is getting overwhelmed." They all nodded and began running back in the battle, when suddenly, all the battling stopped. The Wretched stopped, motionless. The pack stopped attacking, confused to what was happening. As sudden as this happened, all the Wretched turned into dust, scaring the majority of the pack. Garth was still confused and looked around himself.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?" he asked, not able to make heads or tails about this.

"It means that Humphrey did it" Walter said with a grin.

"But where is he?" Garth asked confused as he went to the remaining pack and climbed a higher rock. He then howled for silence so he could speak. When silence was had and he could see all that remained of the pack, he smiled. They only lost about one hundred wolves from three hundreds in the fight.

"My dear brothers and sisters, Winston and Eve aren't here at the moment, so I will hold this speech in their place. As you all know, we had order to retreat at sunset and regroup if we could not hold them any longer. But, we won't need to do this. And we all know who to thank for this. The Sentinel promised he will do something about them and, by the looks of it, he did. Only, we have no idea where he is-" Garth said, before a wolf in the crowd called, looking towards the lake, from where a limping form was coming:

"The Sentinel is coming!"

**Aaaaaaand…scene. That is it, guys and girls. The end of a rather short but eventful chapter. It looks like Humphrey did it. He defeated Dominicus. But at what cost? And what will happen to Kate? All this and more, in the next chapter.**

**Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you liked or didn't like, and any constructive criticism that you have.**

**The next chapter is also almost ready. I only have a little work to do on it, but I am lacking the time at the moment, so maybe next weekend.**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys and girls, I finally managed to finish this chapter. As I said, I had this chapter written, but not really complete, some time ago. But, the polish it needed was substantial, so there's that. I hope you will enjoy this chapter, so let's jump right to it :D**

**Chapter 17 – The Cycle**

"The Sentinel is coming!"

All eyes of the remaining pack turned towards the direction of the lake, where a lone wolf could be seen limping very badly, towards them.

"Humphrey?" Garth mumbled to himself, looking at the wolf walking. He was in shock. He has never seen Humphrey injured or bloody.

"He's all bloody" Lilly said, just beside Garth.

"Yeah…I never thought that wolf could even get injured…" Garth said, still mumbling.

**-with Humphrey-**

Humphrey was slowly limping towards the crowd that was now around the rock. He could see Garth on the rock, beside Lilly, looking at him. He then saw Garth jumping down from the rock and get surrounded by the pack. With his slow walking, he managed to limp to the edge of the pack.

The pack studied him as he moved slowly towards the center of it, towards the rock. He was badly injured: he had a broken leg, his face had several cuts, as had his back and belly, all of them bleeding.

The injured wolves that were around him, muttered: "The Sentinel" while Humphrey walked through them. They opened him a path, letting him pass. He looked at them, pain in his eyes. He saw all of them more or less injured. He saw their physical pain and the pain caused by all the deaths around them. Nevertheless, he didn't stop until he found Garth. Or, to be more precise, Garth found him.

"Humphrey, you're alive" Garth said with a smile as he gave him a careful hug. Humphrey groaned in pain, closing his eyes. Garth realized his mistake and let go and asked:

"What happened? I thought you went south to save Kate."

"I was distracted by the stupid boss of these Wretched. I killed him and now I am going to south once more, to find Kate" Humphrey said, walking by Garth. Garth turned to look at him. He then shook his head and ran in front of him. He put a paw on his chest and said:

"Humphrey, do you remember what you told me earlier today? About diving head-in in the battle and getting injured like a moron I was? Please don't go. You will die on the way…" Humphrey smiled and pushed his paw away.

"Don't worry Garth. I will be okay. But I really need to find Kate. I know she is injured and I want to be sure she is okay. And I need to do this now, before anything bad happens to her." And with that, Humphrey began walking again. Garth sighed and called behind him:

"Humphrey, I won't stop you. After all, how could I? You brought down an entire army of Wretched somehow and save over two hundred wolves. But you have to know this. Winston and Eve went after you to find Kate." Humphrey froze in his tracks and turned to look at him.

"They did what?" he called, not believing his ears.

"They went after your mate to bring her back, while you saved the pack" Garth said.

"Then I must hurry. I don't know if they are okay either. I need to help them" Humphrey said, turning around again and limping towards the south. Garth called again:

"Humphrey, don't be a fool. You can't help everyone. It is impossible, even for you."

The pack watched as the discussion flowed. There was tension in the air at such truths being said aloud. Humphrey didn't look at Garth, but pain, emotional pain, was clear in his voice:

"I know that, brother. But I will still try. If I don't, I will never be able to forgive myself." Garth was taken by surprise, being called brother by Humphrey. Nonetheless, he understood him. This is who he was, a selfless wolf that would throw away all safety just to see others safe. And that is a thing Garth respected very much, because he knew he would never be able to do that. And he was known as the bravest Alpha in the combined packs. He just looked at Humphrey limping away. He didn't notice Walter coming beside him, so he was surprised when he heard him whisper:

"Winston and Eve are coming from the southern forest. Winston has a body on his back, with golden fur." Garth nodded and said:

"Humphrey, there is no need to go south anymore."

"Of course there is. I need to save Kate, Winston and Eve. I thought I said that already" Humphrey called, frustration emanating from his tone.

"Eve and Winston are coming from the forest now. And Winston has a golden body on his back" Garth called to him. He saw Humphrey freeze with all his being. He also saw the reaction from the wolves in front of Humphrey. They all let their ears down and stopped any tail wagging. Then he saw something clear falling from the front of Humphrey's body, which could only mean that he was crying. Garth slowly walked forward. Lilly wanted to join him, but Garth shook his head, so she remained in the crowd. When he reached Humphrey, he was silent, but brushed his shoulder on Humphrey's healthy leg. Humphrey looked up and Garth motioned to the pack. They instantly made another path and on it came Winston and Eve. Eve was crying, while Winston had a sad face, carrying Kate.

When they reached Humphrey, Eve stopped in front of him, licked his check and then walked past him, to where Lilly was sitting. That gesture surprised not only Humphrey, but the entire pack. Then Winston stopped in front of him and Garth immediately helped him set Kate in front of Humphrey. Humphrey looked at her. She had three deep slashes on her face. She also had several injuries that were bleeding on her body. Humphrey sat on his haunches and let his tears slowly fall. The tears touched Kate's slashes on her face, mixing with the blood, but she remained unmoving.

Winston stood on the other side of Kate and said:

"Humphrey, I can't begin to phantom the pain you are feeling right now. But know this: you're not alone. We are a pack, you are our family and the war is now over, thanks to you. Our pack survived. Everything will be alright. I-"

"Shut up! It will not be alright!" an angry voice said behind them. Humphrey looked to see Shakey coming to him with rage in his eyes. He sat by Humphrey and looked at Winston.

"With all due respect sir, but you have really no idea of how to grasp the pain Humphrey is in now. I, myself am astonished he didn't kill you already for what you said…"

"Shakey, what is the meaning of this?" Winston asked looking at him confused.

"Sir, please let me finish. I have been Humphrey's friend since the day he became the leader of the Omegas and joined this pack. I have seen him spend countless nights bawling his eyes out because of the laws of the pack that didn't allow him to even try and ask Kate out. I saw him spending countless hours simply looking at an abject, day-dreaming of Kate, most likely. And, he has been doing this for almost three years until they were wolf-napped...sir, I don't think that at the moment you are in any position to say anything like that…" Shakey finished as he looked at Humphrey who was now trembling. He was not trembling with rage, but with sadness. Winston too looked at Humphrey and realized his mistake in what he said earlier. He just nodded at Shakey and walked past Humphrey, doing something he never did in his life. He put his tail between his legs, showing weakness and great emotional pain. In a second, after all the surprise of such an outburst from an Omega faded, Barbara was beside Kate and said:

"She is still alive, in a coma. But the damage is too big…I am sorry Humphrey."

"Let me take a look" Sally said, anger in her voice at the possible incompetence of Barbara. She put a paw on Kate's forehead and began mumbling. After a couple of seconds, she turned to Humphrey and just looked at him with a defeated look in her eyes. Humphrey knew what this meant, when not even Sally could help her. What happened next however, scared Sally beyond recognition. Her face turned pale and her eyes became small, terrified as she saw Humphrey become rigid and solid as a stone. Not a single muscle moving. She had seen this face only twice in her life…once when his father fought twenty Wretches at once and once when Humphrey was training, and she went past the line. He didn't say a word. He simply got up and moved one step closer to Kate's head.

"Humphrey, what do you intend to do?" Winston asked, seeing him placing a paw on Kate's forehead. Humphrey turned with the same impassible and rigid face at him and asked:

"Winston…what did I tell you…what did I promise you…what did I gave my word to you that I will do…in the morning of mine and Kate's wedding?"

Winston looked at him, astonishment on his face as his and Humphrey's discussion played in his mind:

**-flashback-**

_"Humphrey, I wanted to talk to you about the wedding" Winston said as Humphrey got up and sat by Winston._

_"What about it?" Humphrey asked with a quizzical expression._

_"I wanted to thank you Humphrey. From all the wolves Kate could have chosen as her mate, I am really glad she chose you. She is really lucky to have you" Winston said with a fatherly expression._

_"Sir, I must say that it is the other way around. I am lucky that she chose me. And I love her with all my heart. I will never force her to do anything and I will always stay by her. I will die for her, if need be, sir" Humphrey said with a serious expression._

**-end of flashback-**

"That you would protect her with your life…that, if the need be, you will die for her safety" Winston said tears stopping in his tracks. Humphrey nodded sadly and said in a toneless voice:

"That is what I remember I said too. Then I see no point in asking such a thing…"

Humphrey sighed and turned back to Kate. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he howled a pained and full of grief howl. During it, his howl changed from normal, to a howl that could shake mountains. When he opened his eyes next, they were golden and his face was fierce with love and determination. The eyes were beaming light the exact same way that they did in the fight with Dominicus. All the wolves that weren't paying attention to what happened earlier, were now captivated in a scary way by what was Humphrey doing. A beam of solid light suddenly fell from the sun and hit Humphrey. The light stuck to his fur, forming a light coat that was so powerful, some of the wolves had to shield their eyes. Humphrey then looked away from Kate and to the crowd around him. He stopped on Lilly, Shakey, Eve, Winston and Garth. He nodded a little nod then raised his head to the sky and talked with a booming voice that carried all through the territory:

"The cycle has been broken. The future shattered. The hope abandoned. Friends almost fought friends. Evil and darkness is what this war brought in the hearts of my brethren. They abandoned hope, and gave up. They said that they can't help everyone. I will not tolerate this. I will rid all of them of any doubt, helplessness and impurities. I will repair all and every one of them, for I am a Sentinel. I will bring back the hope. I will rebuild the future. I will remake the cycle. I will be the mending piece and my life shall become the missing link in the great design of things. This is the sacred code of the Sentinels. This is the way it is supposed to be. The way of happiness, selflessness, forgiveness, love, peace, loyalty and friendship. I will honor the ancient way. A life in exchange of another life, a new link in exchange of a broken one. So it had been before and so it shall be from now on. The cycle will be complete once again, the hope will return and a future will exist. So it shall be!"

The coat of light around him began moving and his paw illuminated powerfully on Kate's forehead. A second later, her whole body began emitting light. Her cuts and injuries began healing, her breathing returned to a normal breathing. The light on Humphrey's body moved on Kate's body, enveloping her like it did on their wedding. Humphrey didn't move during the entire process, which lasted a little longer than a minute. After that minute, the coat of light began evaporating in thin air. Humphrey took his paw from her forehead and looked at her, his face no longer fierce, his eyes no longer golden. He had a smile on his face. A content smile, a genuine smile. He was happy.

Kate's eyes shot open. She jumped to her feet, confused as to where she was, before recognizing the battling grounds and the crowd around her. She saw them look at her with astonished faces and bewildered expressions. She then turned around and saw Humphrey smiling at her, before he closed his eyes. That's when her mind went in overdrive and everything began moving slowly. She saw his legs giving way and Humphrey injured and falling. He opened his eyes while falling and fixed her with his eyes, giving her his genuine smile. She saw his lips moving, forming words as his eyes flashed golden for one more second, before returning to the beautiful blue that she loved. She saw those eyes closing but she managed to understand what Humphrey was trying to say:

"I love you, Kate…I always will…"

Then his body hit the ground and remained unmoving, with his eyes closed and his breathing almost inexistent. Kate instantly felt a hot needle going through her heart and her mind sinking in the abyss of desperation. Tears instantly filled her eyes.

"Nooooooo….Humphrey!" Kate cried as she jumped on his almost lifeless body, crashing right beside him, the pain unbearable.

"Humphrey…you can't die! What have you done?" Kate continued screaming while looking at him.

Lilly, Garth, Winston, Eve and Shakey were so amazed by the turning of events that they couldn't even move. The first to move was Sally, who walked beside Kate and put her paw on Humphrey. She then mumbled, while the pack looked at her.

"He is in a deep comatose state. We can't do anything to wake him. He will awake at one point, if at all. It is all by himself this time. I am sorry" she said to Kate who looked at her with tears falling and words failing her.

Next, Winston and Garth were beside Kate and Sally. Winston said:

"Garth, help me carry Humphrey back to the main den." Garth nodded and the two of them began carrying Humphrey towards the main den, with Kate, Lilly, Sally and Shakey following them. Salty and Mooch were just behind them, followed by the rest of the pack.

In ten minutes, they reached the main den and Garth went inside with Kate, Eve, Lilly, Shakey, Salty and Mooch, while Winston waited outside. Sally said to him:

"I will go prepare some treatment for Humphrey. His leg is broken and looks like if I don't hurry, his injuries will get infected." Winston nodded and Sally left.

When the group was finally inside and the pack gathered, Winston said:

"Danny and Tony, I have a job for you. Gather twenty strong Alphas and please take the bodies of those that we lost to the graveyard. We will hold a ceremony tonight. In the meantime, Walter, I need you to go to the north and bring the pups and the guards back here. It is safe for them to return. That is all."

Walter, Danny and Tony nodded and then Winston went inside the den. He saw Humphrey's three Omega friends inside and said:

"I know he is your friend but I think Kate would like some privacy. I will have to ask you to return tomorrow to check on Humphrey." Shakey, Salty and Mooch nodded and turned around, leaving the den.

"Garth, Lilly, I would like the two of you to go hunt some caribou for Kate. I think she will need it" Winston added with a kind smile. Garth quickly got the message and got up, preparing to leave the den with Lilly, before turning to look back at Humphrey.

"I'll be back, brother" he said before turning again and leaving with Lilly.

Now, only Kate, Winston, Eve and Humphrey were inside the den. Eve was the first to say something:

"I can't believe Humphrey did this. I knew he was a sweet wolf and caring mate, but…to do this…"

Kate shot her mother the meanest of the looks she could manage between her tears:

"Mom, I am ashamed of you. Even though Humphrey told me each and every time that you had no confidence in him, I didn't believe him, but now I do. After all the times that he said he will protect me with his life and will die in my place and after all the times he proved this not only to me, but to you, to dad, to his friends, to the pack, you still didn't believe him? I am sorry, but this time, you really let me down…"

Eve remained shocked once again, looking at Winston for support. But she found none. Instead, Winston spoke:

"Kate…to be true with you, I know Humphrey has always been a very literal wolf and every time he promised something, he would keep his promise, no matter what it was and no matter how stupid it was, but you have to understand something. I never knew, heard or seen in reality or history of a wolf that will willingly sacrifice his own life, not in battle, but in times of peace, to save the life of his mate. But, as usual, Humphrey keeps surprising all of us…and this show of sheer love, selflessness and loyalty…"

"Dad, I know this. Only, the thing that you and mom are lacking is faith. Faith in Humphrey, in his forces and in his will. I've seen this every day of training, where he would just do it, so that he will be able to protect me. And you know how he did the training? He did it smiling. Smiling at the thought of protecting me. Smiling at the thought that he will finally be able to raise to the rank of a true mate, to the rank that was expected from him. Tell me this dad, in all the years you taught Alpha School, how many pups have you seen doing the training each and every day with a bright, genuine smile, even after being totally crushed emotionally? Tell me!" Kate interrupted, tears still falling.

Winston was speechless. Humphrey did the training smiling. Smiling that he will be able to protect Kate. A memory flashed through his mind:

**-flashback-**

_"I know that you have a crush on my daughter, but I can't allow you to date her" Winston said to a little Humphrey, who just came inside his den to talk with him in private. Humphrey looked down, sadness visible on his face, but then his face brightened again._

_"Will you let me to at least protect her?" he asked with a wide smile. Winston sighed and said:_

_"Humphrey, I can't do that, even if I wanted. It is the law of the pack. You are an Omega and she is an Alpha. I am really sorry…"_

_Humphrey sighed in defeat and then mumbled something and left the den without saying goodbye. Winston turned to his business and laughed:_

_"Protect Kate? I wish I could see a day in which Kate will need protection from anyone."_

**-end of flashback-**

Winston saw that even then, Humphrey wanted to protect Kate. He then thought about all times Humphrey took a hit for Kate. How on his way back from Idaho, he fought bears, he saved her from drowning in mud, he helped her basically get home where she had to marry Garth. That's when he realized what Humphrey mumbled about. He mumbled about protecting her anyway.

In that moment, everything became clear to him. Only then he could grasp the true depth of Humphrey's love and loyalty for and towards Kate and understood why he did what he did. He looked back at Kate and said:

"No Kate. I know no wolf to have done the training smiling, but I am sure you are telling the truth. After all, when Humphrey joined our pack and met you, he asked me if he could date you. When I said no, he asked me if he could at least protect you. When I denied him that too, he said he will protect you anyway. So, if there is a wolf that would do training smiling only to be able to protect his mate, I think Humphrey will be that one…Eve, if you will please follow me, I have something to talk to you. In private…" Eve looked at Winston and nodded, the two of them leaving Kate alone with the barely alive Humphrey. Kate stopped her tears long enough to get up and move her body closer him. She then intertwined her tail with his and pressed her body against his. She put her head on his head, careful at his injuries and began crying again. Between tears she whispered in his ear:

"Humphrey, if you hear me, please return to me. I won't be able to live without you. Not even for a day. Please return to me Humphrey, my lovable Omega…"

**Aaaaand….scene. That is it guys. Another chapter done. I hope you enjoyed it and if so, please let me know in a review. I tried my best to make it as good as possible. Also, I forgot to mention at the beginning the strong emotion in this chapter. Tell me what you liked, didn't like and any criticism that you have. Looking forward to reading the reviews.**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys and girls. I am back once again with another chapter for you to enjoy. Now, as we have seen in the previous chapters, things are not looking too good at the moment. Humphrey in a coma and Kate in a possible depression is not good at all. But, at least the war is over...or is it? Read and find out :D Enjoy**

**Chapter 18 – A new beginning**

**-somewhere unknown-**

"What is this place?" Humphrey asked aloud, his voice echoing around himself. It was very dark and beside him, there was no one around.

"I guess this is how it feels to be dead…" he added after looking through the darkness and seeing nothing.

Suddenly he felt his legs slipping off the earth and found himself falling. He tried screaming in surprise, but no sound came out. The only thing that betrayed his terror of falling was the scared expression on his face. When he finally hit something and stopped falling, he blacked out from the shock.

Humphrey groaned very hard as he opened his eyes to a blinding light. He felt very tired, sore and confused. One second, he was looking at a living Kate and then he woke up darkness, after performing a ritual that was supposed to kill him, and now was in a place full of light that blinded him for a couple of seconds. When his eyes adjusted, he looked around him and saw white. Everything was white and filled with light.

"What is this place?" he asked aloud, but received no answer. He sighed and looked around him better, after his eyes got a little used to the light. He saw some distance away a dark shape. It was the only thing there, so he decided to walk towards it and see where and what that was. Maybe it held some answers. The closer he got to the thing, the sadder he felt. He won't be able to return to Kate, but at least she was alive. He won't be able to see his pups, if he was going to have any, but, at least Kate was alive. He won't be able to see Winston, Eve, the wolf he now considered his brother, Garth or any of his friends for that matter, but, at least they were alive.

His mind snapped to the present as he stopped in front of the dark object. It was a cage made of the darkest material he has ever seen. And inside the cage, there was a gigantic wolf with black fur.

"Hey. Sorry to disturb you. Do you know what or where this place is?" Humphrey asked politely. The wolf turned to look at him and Humphrey was shocked to see Dominicus in the cage.

"Hello Sentinel" Dominicus said in a sad voice. "No, I don't know what this place is, nor where it is. Sorry I couldn't help you..."

"My name is Humphrey. And you're alive? How is that possible? I killed you..." Humphrey said with a confused expression.

"You did. Yet, here I am. If I am dead, that means you are too, if I am not, then that means you didn't do a very good job about it" Dominicus said, keeping his sad face.

"Oh...Dominicus, I...I am sorry I killed you..." Humphrey said with a sad face.

"No...You shouldn't be. I was a monster. And I had to be dealt with. This is the real me. I was locked inside my mind this whole time. For releasing me from my madness, I want to thank you and I want you to know that I have forgiven you for killing me" Dominicus said nodding slowly.

"Wait, are you saying that you were an innocent wolf, but only trapped in your mind?" Humphrey said shocked and even sadder.

"Not innocent. I have done things that should never be done by anyone. Ever. But yes, I was trapped in my own mind" Dominicus explained.

"What? But how? And why?" Humphrey asked, before he felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned to see none other than his father standing behind him with a fatherly smile plastered on his face.

"Father?" Humphrey asked confused, tears beginning to fill his eyes. Arthy nodded and Humphrey smiled, giving him the biggest hug he could ever give.

"It is good to see you again, my son" Arthy said in a tired voice, closing his eyes and embracing him. When he released him, he said:

"Come with me, Humphrey. I need to speak with you and tell you some things."

"But dad... What about Dominicus?" Humphrey asked turning to look at him.

"He will be dealt with" Arthy said with a smile. Humphrey raised an eyebrow and asked:

"How?"

"He will receive a fair and impartial trial, before being sent over to the other world. But we must go now" Arthy said turning to leave. Humphrey nodded and turned to Dominicus:

"Good luck, and once again, I am sorry it had to be the way it is."

"Don't worry. Just remember a thing. This war was just the beginning. There are many out there and they will come. Prepare yourself. I wasn't even the smallest commander in their army" Dominicus said with a worried look. Humphrey nodded and turned to leave. Then turned again and walked to the cage. He put his paw between the bars of the cage and touched Dominicu's forehead. He smiled and said:

"I have also forgiven you. This is for good fortune." Dominicus smiled and nodded once. Then Humphrey turned around for the last time, to follow his father. He caught up with him and Arthy said:

"You have a good heart, Humphrey. A heart better than many wolves I've seen."

"Dad...can I ask you some questions?" Humphrey said.

"Go on. I will answer if I am able to" Arthy said, nodding.

"How are you still alive? Where is mom? Where are we, in fact? And why are we here?" Humphrey asked, stopping in his tracks. Arthy sighed and said:

"You always begin with the hard questions. You always did and you always do. Very well...this place is called the Limbo. It is the place between the material world and the other world where souls are judged so that their fate is decided. You will see your mother very soon and I bet she will be happy to see you."

"So, if this is a place for lost souls, to say so,...why I am here then?" Humphrey asked.

"For your trial" Arthy said with a sad expression.

**-with Kate, in the den-**

"Kate, are you here?" Sally asked from the entrance. She heard some quiet crying from the back of the den, so she took that as a yes. "It's me, Sally. I am coming inside" Sally said before walking inside. When she reached Kate, she saw her still embracing Humphrey, who was breathing lightly and forcefully.

"Kate, can you let Humphrey go for a couple of minutes?" Sally asked with a sweet smile.

"No" Kate said, not turning to look at her.

"Kate, I need to treat his wounds. Else, they will get infected and he might die from the infection" Sally said in a serious tone. Kate didn't move for a couple of seconds, before she said:

"Fine."

Sally got closer to Humphrey as Kate let him out of her embrace. She than sat down beside him, watching Sally with a high dose of attention. Sally raised her eyebrows a little but shrugged it off. She got straight to work, first cleaning Humphrey's wounds with some leaves which she put in a bowl with a green substance. When the leaves touched Humphrey's wounds, green smoke came out.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked, taken by surprise by the smoke.

"This is a very powerful cleaning mixture. Humphrey has been with his wounds untreated for a long period of time. This will kill all the infection that might have got in" Sally explained as she applied some fresh leaves with a thick blue mixture on it.

"You aren't very talkative today" Sally observed as Kate sighed.

"I am not...And you know why? Because my parents disappointed me. While I was in the coma, I could hear each and every piece of talking that went by my ears. I heard my dad telling Humphrey everything was alright. I heard Shakey taking Humphrey's defense. I heard what he said and how my father reacted. Then I heard Humphrey doing what he did. While he did it, I begged him in my mind to not do it. But he did it anyway. Then, when I saw him falling, I was the first by his side. And then you followed. I expected my parents and sister to be the next by his side, not you..." Kate said, trying to hold tears in.

"Let them flow. There is nothing to be afraid of" Sally said, putting a paw on her shoulder as Kate began crying silently. Sally then turned back to Humphrey to put his broken leg back in place and to fix it with some wood pieces.

"You know Kate" Sally started saying as she was working "I know Humphrey loves you very much. Much more than even you know. I saw it in his mind when I trained him. Did you know that when he was young he battled a strong depression? And that you were his cure? I think you might have suspected it when we reached the ancient grounds of the Sentinels, because that is when it returned for a brief moment. You know why Humphrey did what he did?"

"Why did he?" Kate asked, confused as to why Sally was asking her this question.

"Let me tell you something. This secret technique that Humphrey did was only passed from father to son in the Leader family. Humphrey was not supposed to find about this technique until he had pups, because that is when a father tells this to his son" Sally explained.

"But, you said that any Sentinel can do it" Kate countered with a confused face.

"Yes, any Sentinel can. But only if they know they can. Do you understand now?" Sally said with motherly face. Kate nodded and Sally continued:

"Good. I will return tomorrow to check the bandages and change them. Please do not touch his broken leg until tomorrow." Kate nodded again and Sally turned her back and left the den. When Kate was sure Sally was far away, she got close to Humphrey again and whispered:

"I know now. You did it so that you wouldn't be in the darkness anymore. You did it to save your light in the darkness...now do it again to save mine. Please Humphrey, come back to me. Please..."

**-unknown place-**

"Please Humphrey, come back to me. Please..."

Humphrey turned his head up as did his father.

"What was that?" Arthy asked.

"That was Kate's voice. My mate..." Humphrey said, feeling his heart fill with sadness.

"That is unfortunate. But you can do nothing about it now. Come. You are going to meet your mother now and then the Council" Arthy said, sighing heavily. Humphrey let a couple of tears fall and followed his dad. They walked through the white and empty space for some time, until the white space turned to grass and sky and trees.

"Where are we?" Humphrey asked.

"The Ancient Grounds" Arthy said as they kept walking through the forest. When they reached the place that resembled the main grounds of the Sentinels, another wolf approached them and stopped in front of Humphrey. Humphrey looked up for his blue eyes to meet strong green eyes, which he remembered very clearly.

"Mother?" Humphrey asked with a smile as the wolf in front of him nodded. Humphrey gave the wolf a big hug and the wolf hugged back.

"It's so good to see you again, Humphrey" Senna said breaking the hug after almost a minute.

"Senna dear, are they ready?" Arthy asked with a serious face.

"They are" Senna said with a nod.

"Good. Humphrey, please follow me. And remember to bow before the Council" Arthy said as they walked towards the Tree of Justice. They went inside and a big room with a flat stone in the center opened to them. They were inside the tree, but light was coming from everywhere. Around the stone sat different wolves, in the center of then being a bigger wolf with shining eyes of blue color. On the stone, a small witch fire burned.

"Members of the Council" Arthy said as he bowed. Humphrey bowed too and the biggest wolf said:

"Rise Arthy. You are welcome to join us." Arthy smiled and joined them at what seemed the Council table. Humphrey was taken by surprise by his father being in the Council. However, his mind was brought back to the present by the big wolf clearing his throat.

"So you are Arthy's son? You are quite a big pup, aren't you?" the big wolf said with a warm smile. "What is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Humphrey" Humphrey said confident.

"Do you know why are your here?" the wolf asked again.

"Yes. I am here for my trial" Humphrey said with confidence and sadness in his voice. The big wolf sensed it in his voice and said:

"Is something wrong? Do you have any questions before we can begin?" Humphrey looked at his father and said:

"Just before I got here, I heard the voice of my mate calling me back and I miss her very much..." The reaction from the members of the council was instantaneous. All of them looked surprised and the big wolf's smile disappeared. His face became serious and he said:

"I see. This is Council is dismissed from this meeting for now. Leave at once." The Council members got up and left the tree, before the big wolf could blink. After they were gone, Humphrey got up and turned to leave.

"Humphrey, please wait a second. I need to talk to you. Alone" the big wolf said, his smile returning and the care in his eyes intensifying.

"What is it, sir?" Humphrey asked.

"Come here on the stone and stand in the middle of the fire. I need to check something. Don't worry, nothing bad will happen" the big wolf said as he also got on the stone, but sat down beside the fire. Humphrey jumped beside him and gulped once before entering the flames. They did no damage to him, but changed the color from the usual yellow to a bright blue. The big wolf sighed and said:

"Humphrey, do you know who I am?" Humphrey shook his head, in complete confusion.

"I am Fehernrir" the wolf said in a monotone.

"The wolf god?" Humphrey asked surprised and made a small bow.

"Yes. No need for bows now. Now we talk. Humphrey, will you tell me how you died?" Fehernrir asked keeping his smile.

"There was a war back in the Western territory. A war started by the Wretched. They were led by a wolf named Dominicus. They attacked and we managed to succeed in defeating them after I killed Dominicus. But, in the war, my mate was injured very badly. She was brought before my eyes in a coma. Both a healer and a wolf-witch told me that nothing can be done. I didn't want my mate to die, so I performed the Sentinel ritual and traded my life for her" Humphrey explained in a small tone.

"You know about the ritual?" Fehernrir asked with surprise.

"Shouldn't I?" Humphrey asked confused. Fehernrir shook his head and said:

"Let me tell you the story. Do you know how the Sentinels and the Wretches came to be?"

"I know something. The first Sentinel and Wretch were your sons and they separated to each form a pack and pursue the destruction of the other because the Sentinel did a small mistake that affected the Wretch" Humphrey said.

"All of that is a lie" Fehernrir said simply. "What happened is that they were both Sentinels. But one of them died because of a stupid mistake of the other. The other was so sorry that he performed this ritual where he asked me to trade their lives and died in his place. The one brought back to life was so angry that the other one gave his life for him and not asking his permission that he turned into a corrupted Sentinel, also known as a Wretched. Until you telling me this story, my son was the only wolf that managed to complete the ritual."

"But someone told me that any Sentinel could do it" Humphrey said confused again.

"That is true, but there is a catch. The ritual must be done for the one you truly love. Only then it will have effect. Also, this ritual was passed from father to son, after the son had pups and only in the Leader family. However, the Leaders could tell the secret of this ritual to any Sentinel, if they chose to, but only if they needed to know a way to save someone they truly loved."

"Okay...that is somewhat logical, but why did I hear my mate's voice then if I am dead?" Humphrey asked confused again.

"Ah, yes. The reason I called of the Council. That is because you aren't dead. You are just in a coma" Fehenrir said with a big smile.

"So I am still alive? But how is that possible?" Humphrey asked.

"It is because she wasn't dead at the moment of performing the ritual. She was in a coma. And you healed her, but you will suffer the physical effort as if you healed the wounds naturally. However, the wounds were so bad that you are with a paw in the grave to say so. But, you still have a choice. A choice I never ever dreamed of giving someone. Would you like to hear it?" Fehenrir said putting a paw around him. Humphrey smiled and said:

"Yes, I would like that..."

"The choice is: either you join your father and I in this Council as a dead wolf and remain with your mother and see all your original pack, or you return to your body, now knowing how to heal and knowing that you can perform that ritual one more time if the need be. It's your choice and no one can have any implication in it" Fehenrir said as Arthy and Senna came inside.

"Did you call us, sir?" Arthy asked. Fehenrir nodded and said:

"You both need to speak with your son. He has things to tell to both of you. I will return soon to hear what you have to say Humphrey." Humphrey nodded and bowed, before Fehenrir's body turned into light and faded. Humphrey got of the stone and sat by his mother and father. Arthy was the first to speak:

"Well, Humphrey, why did He call off the meeting?"

"Because I am not dead yet. I am in a coma, but with a paw in the grave" Humphrey said with a smile. Arthy nodded and Senna said:

"How is that possible?"

"A long story about the Sentinels past. I performed a ritual that healed my mate but put me in a severe coma" Humphrey said, sitting between them.

"So, you are not dead? That explains why you heard your mate calling for you" Arthy said before Senna's face turned sad.

"What is wrong?" Arthy asked, confused as to why his mate was crying. Senna shook his head and said:

"Tell him, Humphrey. I can't." Arthy turned to Humphrey confused and Humphrey sighed:

"Since she was not dead, I have a choice. I can remain here and join the Council and stay with you two, or I can go back to my mate." Arthy nodded and said:

"And I suppose you made up your mind from the moment you heard your options. I just wish you could have remained with us some more. We really missed you..."

"I missed you too. Both of you" Humphrey said giving both of them a hug. "But I can't stay here. Not when my mate is devastated by something I did...I am sorry."

"We understand and we support your decision" Senna said, licking his cheek. "Know that we will always love you and we will wait for the time when you and your mate will come here. We will like very much to meet her" Senna added, tears falling from her eyes.

"Know that I am proud of you for being who you are and for doing what you did and anything that you will do from now on" Arthy said, a fatherly smile on his face. Humphrey gulped, trying to hold his tears in and managed to only nod. Just then, a light appeared in the room and Fehenrir appeared before them. All of them bowed to him before he spoke:

"I see that this talk is over. Humphrey, what is your choice?"

"I choose to return to my body and be by the side of my mate" Humphrey said loud and clear.

"Very well. But know this. You are forbidden to speak of anything that happened since you got to the Ancient Grounds. You can speak about Dominicus, but the most you can say about this place is that you met your parents. However, the truth about the Sentinels must never reach light" Fehenrir said with a serious voice.

"I understand" Humphrey said with a serious face.

"Very well. Say your goodbye and I will send you back" Fehenrir said. Humphrey turned to his parents and said:

"I am very happy that I saw you again. I missed both of you so much. I will see you again someday."

"And we will wait for that day. We love you Humphrey and we will watch over you and your family. Don't forget that" Arthy said with a smile, while Senna nodded.

"I won't and I love both of you very much. Sir, I am ready to go back" Humphrey added as he turned to look at Fehenrir.

"Very well. Close your eyes. The next time you will open them, you will be back in your body. We will be watching" Fehenrir said as Humphrey closed his eyes. Fehenrir put his paw on Humphrey's forehead and his being emanated light. Then, Humphrey vanished.

**-in the den-**

Humphrey began hearing sounds around him. They had no meaning but sounded like voices. He focused on one of them which seemed familiar. The sounds began making more sense when he focused. And he also managed to recognize the voice. It was none other than Kate:

"Thank you, Sally. For everything. How long until he will be able to wake up, if he will?"

"A week at most. And, don't worry about his other wounds. They healed already. Which is very strange, even for a Sentinel. I will leave you be then. Later, I heard Garth will come and bring you some food. Are you sure you don't want to hunt? You haven't left this den in five days" Sally said with worry in her voice.

"No. I won't leave him not even for a second. Thanks you for worrying though" Kate said, sadness tangible in her voice.

"Very well. I will come again tomorrow. Goodbye" Sally said, before Humphrey could hear her steps leaving the den. Then he felt a paw over his body, as another body pressed on his right. He also felt a tail intertwining with his own tail.

"Humphrey, I don't know if you hear me, but know that I love you. Please save my light as you saved yours. Please return to me. Please…" Kate whispered in his ear.

"Return to you? Where have I been gone?" he said in a whisper, as he felt Kate's body turning rigid against his, her breathing barely there.

"Humphrey? Are you awake?" he heard Kate saying in his ear again.

"Yes. I am" Humphrey said, a smile growing on his face as he opened his eyes, only to see the face of a teary Kate in front of him. She locked eyes with him. He could see in her eyes that she was still thinking if she was dreaming or it was real. He decided to show her it was real, so he licked her nose. He saw more tears coming out from her eyes a teary smile formed on her face. He got on his haunches and spread his paws wide open, to hug Kate. She jumped in his paws, crying in his chest. He held her close to him, softly massaging her back, trying to calm her down. They stood like that for some time, none of them saying anything. Kate was the one that spoke first.

"I missed you very much. Never do such a thing again, before telling me."

"And I missed you too. I would have asked if I could. But what is past is past. How long have I been in the coma?" Humphrey asked.

"Five days and four nights. Oh, how much I missed your voice and your eyes" Kate said as she raised her face from his chest and locked eyes with him again. He smiled her his genuine and happy smile and said:

"I missed you more. I heard your call and I have returned. I love you Kate and know that I will never leave you. You are my everything, you are my light. You are the moon of my night and the sun of my day. You are the smell of the flowers and the wind of the forest. Never forget that I will be here for you, no matter the cost or pain that I must suffer." She hugged him again and he held her close to him once more.

"I know" she said, her face borrowed in his chest again.

They stood like that until they heard something dropping on the floor of the den. When they turned to see, they so none other than Lilly, who looked like she fainted, and Garth, with his mouth wide opened and half a caribou at his feet.

"Hey brother. How have you been?" Humphrey asked with a smile as Kate let go of him, so that he could give Garth a hug. Garth only smiled and hugged him. In the middle of the hug, he said:

"I thought I would never see you again. I missed you. Kate missed you. The pack missed you. Even Eve missed you, but she won't say it."

"And I thought I will never see you again. None of you. But I am happy it wasn't like this" Humphrey said with a smile as he let go of Garth.

"Is this a dream?" Lilly asked. She woke up in the meantime and looked at Humphrey as if she was seeing a ghost.

"It is. BOO!" Humphrey said with a laugh. Lilly giggled and hugged him. Then she let him go and said:

"Welcome back. We missed you very much."

"And I missed you" Humphrey said as his stomach gave an unhappy growl. Everyone looked at him and he said:

"And it looks like my stomach missed caribou meat even more. Mind if I dig in?"

"No problem. Please do" Garth said with a smile. "Meanwhile, I will go and bring Winston and Eve. They must know this. Lilly, how about you bring Shakey, Salty and Mooch."

"Alright" she said with a bright smile as the two of them left Humphrey eating and Kate by his side. Kate stood there and looked at him while he ate.

"Humphrey, can I ask you something?" she said with a whisper. He nodded while eating another piece of meat.

"What…Where…What did you do when you were…you know?" Kate said, trying her best not to make him feel sad or worried. He stopped eating and said:

"I saw my parents and spoke to them. And I met and spoke with Dominicus…"

"What was he doing there?" Kate asked, now rage filling her face.

"He was dead and will remain dead. You have no reason to be angry at him. I have forgiven him for everything and he has forgiven me about everything" Humphrey said, turning to look at her confused face.

"Why? Why did you forgive him?" Kate asked, coming closer to him and sitting by his side.

"Because he wasn't at fault. He was a wolf trapped in his own mind by someone or something more powerful than him. He was trapped by fear, by rejection, by insecurity, by betrayal and by desperation. He was the wolf I would have become if you wouldn't have appeared in my life. He didn't have a beacon of hope like I had. And for that, I felt sorry and pity. But that is not the reason I have forgiven him. I have forgiven him because he knew what he did and took the blame for it. In the end he proved to be a good wolf at heart." After saying this, Humphrey turned to look at Kate, who looked at him as if he didn't understand. "Kate, I have to ask of you to try and forgive him. He was a good wolf" Humphrey added, looking at her. Kate looked at him and nodded with a sigh.

"I…I will try. I understand why you did forgive him. But, I can't promise anything" she said, giving him a hug. Humphrey hugged and said:

"Thank you. I know he would have thanked you too. Now, what do you say about a piece of caribou? You look famished. Did you even eat while I was unconscious?"

"I did, but not much. And caribou sounds pretty good now. Will you tell me about your parents while I eat? That is, if I don't push it too hard" Kate said, as she started eating some caribou.

"It isn't much to say. But it felt really good to see them again and to be able to tell them that you missed them. They also told me some things. They told me that they loved me and that they were proud of me. They told me that they missed me. They also told me that when the time will come, both you and I will be welcomed by their side" Humphrey said, trying to sound casual. Kate gulped the meat and said:

"I am happy for you. And that sounds very kind of them, but I would prefer that to be later than sooner." Humphrey chuckled and nodded as Kate smiled and finished eating. After finishing, she dragged the carcass outside of the den, only to see Garth, Winston and Eve coming towards her. She smiled and waved at them and then went back inside, to wait for them by Humphrey's side. When Eve and Winston came inside, Humphrey waved at them with a bright smile on his face.

"Humphrey, it is so good to see you well again" Winston said with a smile as he sat down in front of him.

"It is good to be back" Humphrey answered him. Then he was taken by surprise by Eve who hugged him so hard that he could barely breathe.

"Can't…breathe. Need…air" Humphrey managed to wheeze out as Eve let go of him.

"I am sorry dear. It is good to have you back, Humphrey" Eve said with a bright smile that was not characteristic to her.

"That was a new experience. Should I get used to it?" Humphrey said with a bug grin, while Kate began laughing along with Garth.

"Maybe…maybe not. I didn't decide yet" Eve said, still keeping her smile, but shooting a death stare to Garth, who stopped laughing in an instant. He turned his head to the entrance of the den, where he had heard some footsteps.

"Hey, I am back" Lilly said with a smile as she sat down by Garth.

"Wolfpile!" Shakey, Salty and Mooch called as they jumped from behind her on Humphrey, pinning him.

"Guys…get off" Humphrey said laughing.

"We missed you" Shakey said as he got off of him and sat down.

"I missed all of you too. And I am glad I am back" Humphrey said all of his friends stood around him. They all stood in silence and smiled at each other, enjoying the company. Suddenly, Winston cleared his throat and said:

"Humphrey, would you mind me holding a meeting with the pack for your return?"

"If you feel it is necessary, please do" Humphrey said. Winston nodded and went outside, where he howled to call a meeting. Shakey, Salty and Mooch said goodbye to Humphrey for the day and went outside, where the sea of wolves began to gather. Eve followed them outside, with Garth and Lilly.

"Should we join them?" Kate asked Humphrey.

"If you want to" Humphrey said, nuzzling her neck. She giggled and they went outside to see what will Winston say in this meeting. When Winston saw Humphrey get out of the den, he motioned for him and Kate to sit in his right during the meeting. In the meantime, the wolves below began chattering, some of them pointing at Humphrey, some of them waving at him. Winston cleared his throat and silence followed. He then spoke:

"Fellow wolves. The war is over. We have defeated the Wretched and kept our land. We lost brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and relatives, but, nonetheless, we have defeated them. However, we would have not succeeded without the help of this wolf right here, without the help of Humphrey." The wolves began cheering and barking. Winston smiled and silenced them again:

"However, after the battle ended, my daughter, Kate entered a coma because of the injuries. She was however saved by her mate, Humphrey, who healed her, almost dying for her. And yet again, he succeeded. He saved me, he saved you, he saved his mate…he saved us all this time. And we thank you, Humphrey." Winston said turning to him. Humphrey smiled and nodded, while Kate grinned at him. Winston turned back to the pack and said:

"During this war, Humphrey proved that he had the pack at heart. He proved that he had courage. He proved that he could lead and inspire others. Even me. He proved that he loved him mate, his family, his pack." Winston made a small break, before saying again:

"There have been eight years since I have taken over this pack. This war proved that I am no longer in power. When Humphrey was in a coma, I had a serious discussion with my mate, Garth and Lilly. We have reached a conclusion. From this day on, I will no longer lead this pack." The pack all gasped as they heard the news. Humphrey turned shocked to Kate who was as confused as he was.

"Me and my mate have decided to step down from the leader position for another stronger and wiser to take our place. We will return to the den we had before becoming leaders, as this den will become theirs. Humphrey, I want you to become the leader of this pack. I want you to lead with courage, dignity and fairness and to lead this pack to prosperity. What do you say? Do you accept?" Winston said with a fatherly smile as he turned to look at him. Humphrey gulped and turned to Kate, who beamed at him.

"I will do as you do, my love" she told him in a whisper. He gulped again and got up and walked to sit by Winston. He nodded and then said:

"Winston, I will accept this great responsibility. My mate and I will do our best to lead this pack to prosperity." He then turned to the pack:

"I promise to each and every of you that I will be a fair leader. I will listen to each and every of your problems and I will try to solve it. I will help anyone that is in need of anything to the best of my abilities. I will not start war with another pack or another park. I will defend this territory and this pack with my life and, when the time comes, I will choose a worthy follower. This is my oath to this pack and to each and every one of you. If I ever break any of these promises, please let me know and kindly I will try to fix the problems that have arisen because of that. But first, I need to thank Winston once again for receiving me in his pack and for listening to my warnings and problems when I needed. Even though I was sometimes angry at him for one decision or another, I understand why he did everything he did and I hold no grudge against him, or against Eve. However, there is one thing that I will not tolerate while I am leader. That thing is violence between pack members. I ask of you the following: if any wolf in this pack will start a fight, no matter the reason, he will be brought alive to me, along with his partner or partners in fight. This is all I have to say for now. I want to thank all of you for your support and to thanks Winston and Eve for this opportunity. I will not disappoint you. If Winston has anything else to add, he can. If not, I declare this meeting over." He turned to Winston expectantly. Winston nodded and said:

"Thank you Humphrey. Indeed, your oath to the pack is more than anyone ever did. And I know you will stand by it. May your life as leader of this pack alongside my daughter be happy. And know this…both me and Eve are proud of you. And I am sure that somewhere out there, your parents are proud of you too." Humphrey nodded and the wolves began dispersing, to go to their normal duties.

"Well Humphrey. I'll leave you to it then. Me and Eve need to clean our former den a little" Winston said laughing lightly.

"Very well, Winston. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me" Humphrey said giving him a hug. When they broke the hug, Winston and Eve turned around and left.

"Well brother, I always knew you will be our leader" Garth said with a grin.

"Yeah, I always saw Kate and you together and leaders" Lilly said with a smile.

"Really?" Kate asked with a smile. Lilly nodded and Garth smiled.

"Garth, Lilly, please come tomorrow morning by our den. I will need to talk with you after the morning hunt. Also, please let Winston and Eve know too" Humphrey said, his face turning serious for a second.

"Is…something wrong?" Garth asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No. I just need to talk with all of you. In private" Humphrey added in a warmer tone, but his seriousness not going away completely.

"Sure thing. Well, we will be going to have something to eat before going to let Eve and Winston know your request. See you tomorrow" Garth said, his smile returning. Humphrey nodded and Garth and Lilly left them. Kate wanted to say something, but Humphrey howled the howl that Winston used to call Hutch. A couple of minutes later, Hutch came running to them. He stopped and said:

"You called sir?"

"Yes. How went the mission with the pups? Are all of them back?" Humphrey asked, his serious face melting in a friendly face, along with his tone.

"Yes. It went as smooth as possible, although I would have preferred to stay here and fight. I heard that you did a great job" Hutch said nodding.

"It was quite a fight and we could have used your help, but your mission of protecting the young was more important. Anything of importance that I need to know about the pack, that you would usually tell Winston and Eve?" Humphrey asked.

"Not that I know of. However, during the following days, some wolf teams should be sent to re-scent the borders of the extended territory" Hutch mentioned.

"I see. We will speak more of this tomorrow. For now, please tell Tony, Danny, Walter, Barbara and Sally to come to my den tomorrow after the morning hunt. I want you to be there too. After what we talk tomorrow, we will talk about the re-scenting of the borders" Humphrey said. Hutch nodded and left to do his job.

"Humphrey, tell me what is wrong" Kate said when he turned to her.

"We should go inside. I will tell you there" Humphrey said as they went inside and sat down. Kate turned to Humphrey expectantly and he sighed:

"Remember what I told you about Dominicus?"

"Yeah" Kate said.

"He gave me a warning. He said that, with time, more Wretched will come. He said he wasn't even the smallest commander in their army. He said we should be prepared at all times" Humphrey said with a heavy and serious face. Kate looked at him, confused at first, before she nodded, understanding.

"It seems that trouble keeps following us…" Kate said with a heavy sigh.

"It would seem so. But remember, as long as we are together, nothing can stop us. And now that we lead our pack, we are stronger. They will try to break us, but we will be the ones who break them, because if anyone messes with my pack and my family, they mess with me. And when they do that, it's going to be ugly. For them" Humphrey said with a reassuring smile. Kate nodded and said:

"Will we ever have a moment of peace for us?" Humphrey thought about it and said:

"How about after the meeting tomorrow, we go log-sledging?" Kate turned to him and smiled.

"I would like that very much" she said, trying to mimic his Omega grin. Humphrey started laughing with Kate as they spent the rest of the day together in their new den.

**-during the night-**

The full moon was shining brightly over Jasper. It was quiet. In a big den, a couple of wolves were sleeping together. One was golden, the other one bluish with grey. Their tails were intertwined and they both had smiled on their faces. Their bodies formed a perfect circle and their hearts beat in unison.

"They look so good together. They remind me of us" Senna said as she and Arthy stood as ghosts outside their den.

"Indeed. Though they look even happier. I think no wolves have had such a relation before" Arthy said, laughing lightly. Senna nodded and their figures started fading.

"See them? They are my parents" Humphrey said in a whisper with one eye open.

"I do. Your mother is so beautiful" Kate said closing her eye, giggling. After the figures faded completely, they began laughing like pups. They haven't played spy the wolf in a long time.

"Let's get some sleep, Humphrey" Kate said after they stopped laughing. He didn't answer. Instead, he nuzzled her neck and licked her cheek, before closing his eyes and preparing to drift off. Kate smiled and closed her eyes too.

**Aaaaaaand….scene. That's it guys. A chapter somewhat longer. I hope you enjoyed it. It might seem final, but it is not the last. However, I don't know when I will put the next one.**

**Tell me in a review what are your thoughts and impressions. Also, any criticism, as long as it is positive and exposed in a respectful manner, is welcomed. Looking forward to reading them :D**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out. **


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